Black like Ink, Steel and a Ravens Feather
by Emberance
Summary: "I hate. It burns through my veins like poison. It pushes me on. I doubt I'll ever be rid of this twisting, devouring hatred but the difference between you and I, stupid boy, is that my love is greater still. Greater than anything I've ever known." Paranoid M rating just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**"You and I are friends. We stand side by side and fight back to back. Any blade that pierces you will first have to go through me."**

**"I hate. It burns through my veins like poison. It pushes me on. I doubt I'll ever be rid of this hatred but the difference between you and I, stupid boy, is my love is greater still. Greater than anything I know."**

**"If he asked, I'd burn this world to ash. Yet, he loves both you and this place. So I will protect it to my last breath."**

**"I am Kyoko, now get the hell out of my way."**

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

Shikaku Nara always enjoyed a nice bottle of sake with his teammates, Inoichi and Choza.

What he didn't like was them telling him his own problems that he already knew.

They'd been doing it for years upon years now, so he was used to it but sometimes they managed to touch on a fairly sore spot.

At these times, he often found himself ordering an extra bottle or two of sake.

He was currently on his fourth bottle and his teammates were staring at him, exchanging worried glances between them. He pretended he couldn't see them with his head buried in his arms.

Choza sighed loudly and drained the rest of his sake, setting it down on the table. "Come on, Shikaku. She's already four and you hardly even know her." Choza reasoned.

Shikaku lazily raised his head to look at his large, red-haired friend with a scowl on his face, "You know I'm busy with missions and the clan."

Inoichi scoffed at him and shook his head, "We haven't been on a mission for two months, Shikaku. We're not due to the front lines for another three months, maybe more. Besides, the war is as good as over." Inoichi picked at a gyoza on the white serving dish, pushing it around in soy, then quietly eating it.

Shikaku leaned back and heaved a sigh, nursing his cup. He knew they were right, they often were when they nit-picked him. The Third Great Ninja War was as good as over, their enemy had suffered a crippling defeat by a single man. The rising star of the village Namikaze Minato, now famed for slaughtering over a thousand Kuomgakure ninja.

And yet, despite the cooling war, he was hardly home anymore these days, he made more work for himself despite his usual tendency to avoid extra work. The alcohol could ease his never-ending worries and slow his quickfire mind but that only gave way to the crushing amount of guilt that followed behind him like an ominous cloud.

He loved his wife, no matter how much he complained about her. She was a strong kunoichi and a supportive woman. She had left her shinobi career behind to look after the clan while he went on various missions and fought in the war efforts. She always had dinner ready for him and she looked after the deer while he was away. She encouraged him and motivated him, sometimes rather forcefully, and he was always thankful to her. She had even given him a beautiful daughter.

It was renown among his fellow Jounin, the high-ranking ninja of Konohagakure, that Shikaku was bad with kids. Inoichi had once offhandedly commented that his face was scary and that usually led to kids crying if he tried to talk to them.

Shikaku sighed for the third time and rested his chin in his palm, his elbow supporting his heads weight. Shikaku watched his two friends, they were supposed to be celebrating, Choza's wife had just revealed being three months pregnant with their first child.

And yet, somehow, they had come to the topic of his daughter.

"I'm no good with kids." Shikaku droned, Inoichi and Choza both laughed loudly.

"But she's your kid, Shikaku." He knew that, as much as she didn't act like it, he knew. "How bad can it be? I'm sure if you actually spent some time with her-" Choza was cut off by Shikaku loudly setting his sake cup down on the table.

Shikaku got up from the table and fished the money out of his back pocket, "I'm heading home before Yoshino comes to hunt me down." He laid the money on the wooden surface and left the small bar his team often frequented.

Turning down the street, Shikaku began the journey back to his clan compound at a slow and scuffed pace. He had been sore about his daughter ever since his team came back from the frontlines. He remembered coming home, two months ago as Inoichi had annoyingly pointed out. He returned to his home, his wife had just started making dinner and his four-year-old daughter sat at the table.

She had grown significantly in the four months he was away. Her pin-straight black hair that fell slightly below her chin now rested softly on her shoulders, her dark black eyes saw more than she willingly let on and her carefree smile was slightly less carefree.

None of the other clan members seemed to notice, they were all fools.

A clan of geniuses, yeah, right.

He slid open the door to his house quietly and closed it behind himself. He had a meeting with the Nara clan elders in the morning, in four hours to be specific. He just wanted to sleep.

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

Kyoko Nara stared at her parents. For the first time in a long time she, her mother and her father sat at the dining table in their home.

Now, this wasn't the strange part.

The strange part was the fact that the time was currently just after midday. Usually, her mother would be tending to the clan deer and her father would be at the Jounin department in the Hokage building.

Yet, here they were, both sitting at the table silently. Her mother watched her like she was a rabbit about to bolt, Kyoko's eyes slid to her father whose eyebrows were furrowed deeply. The number of oddities happening at the same time made her nervous and unfortunately, it seemed like it had something to do with her.

Her mother spoke first, "Kyoko, honey." She began.

Oh, this can't be good, Kyoko thought.

"You understand the duty your father has as the head of the clan, right?" Kyoko nodded, of course she knew. It was only a million times she'd heard someone tell her that her father was super busy with his 'duties'. "Well, as our firstborn, some of those duties fall to you." This made Kyoko blink in confusion.

What duties could she possibly have, she was four.

Her mother saw her confusion and proceeded to lose the composure she had spent the last ten minutes gathering, then turned to her father. "Shikaku, can't you do something? She's too young!" Kyoko's worry doubled at her mother's worried tone and it solidified like a rock in her chest.

Her father shook his head, "I tried, Yoshino. It's a miracle I managed to push the date back a month." Her mother natural frown was far deeper than Kyoko was comfortable with.

"Pa? What's goin' on? Why's Ma so sad?"

Her father met her gaze for a moment then closed his eyes and slumped in his chair a fraction. "It the tradition of the Nara clan, that when the firstborn child of the head household if a female, there will be a shogi tournament to decide who will marry into the family and become the next leader of our clan."

Hold on, she thought.

Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait.

"Wha'?!" She yelled jumping out of her chair and standing in the middle of the dining room.

"See, Shikaku? I knew this was too much for her!" Her mother's protests went right over her head as she started to pace from one end of the dining room to the other.

This was not what she planned. This was not what she planned at all. It was such a basic plan too, how was it all undone by a tradition of all things? How did she not know of it? This just ruined everything, down to the finest detail.

This was not how her storybook life was supposed to go. She was meant to have an ordinary life. She spent so much time playing stupid, destroying any expectations placed on her. She was meant to go to the academy, graduate with average marks, have an average Genin team, become Chunin, meet a handsome ninja, get married and live happily ever after. That's how all her storybooks ended. It was a perfect life plan, one that required minimal effort. Marriage was supposed to be at the end, not this-

"Kyoko." Her father's voice cut through her rampant thoughts. She halted her pacing and faced her father. "There is a way out of it."

A bloom of hope filled her. "How?" She all but demanded.

Kyoko watched as her father reached across the table and dragged and ever-present shogi board across the table. "At the end of the tournament, the bride-to-be has a right to challenge the candidate. If she wins, the tournament is rescheduled in a few years time." Kyoko looked at the shogi board then back to her father.

She had two options, she could either keep up her act of playing stupid and live her life comfortably as a lazy Nara housewife or drop the entire act and step up to the game, literally.

It was a decision between comfort and freedom. She liked not having to do anything, she liked not having expectations forced down her throat, but she loved her freedom, doing what she wanted when she wanted because she wanted to do it. Freedom of her life or become the supposedly unintelligent Nara matriarch.

Yeah, thinking about it that way really helped put things into perspective for her.

The life she wanted originally was never going to happen anyway, you just can't get maximum fulfilment from minimum effort. She had been an idiot if she expected everything she wanted to come easily. It had always been like that, if she wanted something, she'd have to reach for it. Nothing only breeds nothing, actions make a reaction.

Kyoko looked into her father's eyes, he watched her closely ready for her decision. Her father really was ridiculously intelligent, not once falling for her act.

Well then, she thought.

She straightened her posture out and raised her head proudly, her eyes hardened by an earnest determination. Shikaku's eyes widened in surprise and her mother looked taken aback.

Kyoko internally winced. Sorry Ma, I think it's time I stopped holding myself back.

"Pa," Kyoko started, gone was her light ditzy tone and her half-formed words, "Teach me how to play shogi." Her request sounded more like a demand.

Shikaku watched her silently for a moment longer. Finally, he heaved a great sigh and emptied the bag of pieces onto the board and slowly began setting the board into its starting position. "Let's get started then."

He smirked at her and gestured to the seat she had been in earlier. Kyoko readily took the seat and looked at the board set up in front of her. "These are all the pieces in a shogi game, no piece is more or less important than the rest, remember that." He explained.

Her mother still stood in place, watching over them. "The smaller pieces on your frontline are your pawns, they can only move forward one space at a time. Behind your pawns on the left is your bishop, he can move any number of squares in any diagonal. Behind your pawns on the right is your rook, the rook can move any number of squares forwards, backwards, left or right."

"The pieces in the rear corners are your lances, they can move any number of squares forward and forward only. Beside your lances, making your way inward, are your knights. The knight has the unique ability to jump over other pieces, but it can only move in a certain way, two squares forward and one square either left or right. Continuing inwards beside your knights are your silver generals, they can move one space in either diagonal or one space forward. Beside them, the next inwards is the gold general which can move one square in any direction except its rear diagonals. The last piece in the middle of the rear formation flanked by the gold generals is your king, the king can move one square in any direction. You got all that?" Kyoko nodded, not noticing the slight way her lips had curled.

"Your objective is to capture your opponent's king while preventing your own king from being captured. The game is won when you have your opponent in check and no matter where they move, they will still be in check."

"Check?"

"When a king is in danger of being taken, that is called check and the king must be moved away from danger."

"The last three ranks on your the board are called the promotion zone." He gestured to the area where all of his pieces are set up, "Once you get a piece into your opponent's zone, that piece can be promoted to have a better move set." He flipped over a pawn setting it down with a light 'clip'. "If you want to demote an opponent's piece you have to capture it. The pawn, lance, knight and silver general will be able to make the same moves as a gold general." One step in any direction except back diagonal, she reminded herself.

"Your rook and bishop will keep their initial move sets but in addition, they will gain the ability to move one step in any direction." He set his demonstrating pieced back into the starting position. "The king and gold general don't get a promotion?" She asked and her father shook his head, "No and you can't promote a piece that is already promoted. Now, this is where it gets tricky, you ready?" Kyoko looked up to her father.

For the first time since she could remember, he looked like he was actually enjoying himself. She snuck a glance to her mother sitting beside them with her head resting in her hand and a soft smile melted away her usual frown. Kyoko looked back to the board with a small smile of her own, "Yeah, I'm ready."

Her father picked up her bishop and held it in front of her somewhat tauntingly. "When a piece is captured by a player it can be dropped onto the board in any open space." Her eyes widened as clicked her bishop beside his, "Dropping counts as your turn so you can't promote or capture a piece on the same turn you drop it. Pawns, knights and lances can't be placed in a position where they cannot make any moves. A pawn cannot be dropped in a column that your pawn is already occupying or in a position that would immediately give checkmate." He returned her bishop to its position. "Think you got all that?" Kyoko nodded slowly, her eyes trained to the board, "I think so." Her father sat back in his chair, "One way to find out, your move first." Kyoko steeled her sudden bout of nerves and picked up her pawn, click. Her father moved his pawn, click.

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

As to be expected, she lost all three games she and her father played together that night. Her mother had begun dinner somewhere into the second game, Kyoko didn't notice. Her mind had been trained to the board for a solid three hours, a bomb could have gone off in the courtyard and she wouldn't have noticed.

After she lost the first game, Kyoko learned something about herself.

She was a bad loser.

She hated it.

She had sat there staring at her king in checkmate and the more she stared at it, the more annoyed she got. She had demanded a rematch almost instantly after her father declared his win. The second game ended with her being manipulated into a corner and boxed in. She now stared at her king once again threatened and with no escape. She hadn't even noticed she was one move from her demise until the piece was moved. Her mother sat dinner on the table, while she frowned at the board.

Her father chuckled at the plain irritation that was surely etched on her face. Usually, she would be helping her mother set the table, but her mind was wholly distracted by the ridiculously complex game sitting in front of her.

As her father reached for his chopsticks, she dragged the board over to her and replayed the final move, then the one before that and the move before that. She studied each move he made as she did until she was back at the beginning and she began to play through again. What she was lacking right now was understanding and the ability to see all of the pieces at once, that would come with practise, so she wasn't too worried about that. Her objective right now was to become good enough to win the tournament, easier said than done.

She was aware of the genius of the Nara clan.

Tactics was their thing, it's what they did.

Whoever won the tournament would be whoever she'd be versing. Meaning the best of the group would be her opponent. The best from a group of Nara's, she realised. She looked at the shogi board.

The first game her father played against her, he was entirely on the defensive, letting her attack first. She thought he was just being nice, letting her get a feel for the board, she was wrong. He was teaching her, in his own annoyingly obscure way. He was simply playing a defensive style and waiting for the perfect opportunity to move against her. Her thoughts trailed to the second game, decoy after decoy had led her into the position, he wanted her in. And the last final game he went for a full-on attack, loading up the pressure which led to her making careless mistakes.

Of course, shogi wasn't just a tactical game, it was a game of conflicting styles. Having just one style, the Nara style, would only lead to her loss. Her gameplay would become stale, predictable and flawed. Like fighting her shadow, a mimicked and bothersome match. She would need to-

"Kyoko!" Her eyes snapped up to her mother who stared at her with a disapproving frown, "You haven't even touched your food! Shikaku, what have you done to our daughter!" Her father sighed loudly, "I haven't done anything." Kyoko stifled a laugh at the distressed look on her father's face and picked up her warm bowl of rice. She would need her energy for tomorrow.

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

The next morning Kyoko trotted down the hallways of her house and into the dining room. She sat at the table and quickly scoffed down the breakfast her mother had made.

"What's the rush, kiddo?" Her father asked.

Kyoko glanced over at him then over to the shogi board on the unused side of the table. She swallowed her mouthful of food and drained her glass of water, "Wasted time is bothersome." He blinked in surprise at her answer, "Pa, can I take the shogi board with me today?" Shikaku scratched the back of his head and seemed to weigh his options, what they were she didn't know. "You can take the board but let your mother know if you're leaving the compound." Kyoko grinned and gathered up the board in her little arms.

An hour later Kyoko found herself walking down the paths of the village. The Nara clan lived at the edge of the Nara forest which, according to her father, had been around since before the village was even created. It was a large forest in total and ran past the borders of the leaf village, she wasn't yet allowed to explore the entire forest, and it was the only place where she needed to have someone with her at all times.

Despite being at the tail end of a war, the village was still lively. She walked along the road that followed below the Hokage mountain cliff face, the road ran from the north-eastern gate, directly past her clan compound into the centre of the village. It was a beautiful day in Konoha, the sun managed to bring out the best of the colours in the street, the reds, blues and greens of the buildings decorated the village.

She rearranged her grip on the shogi board tucked between her arms.

Where should she go first?

Her plan was simple, she wanted to play a match against many different people and learn different play styles. That way she would have a more flexible strategy. At least, that was her theory. She was looking for people who were battle-tactic wise and preferably shinobi. The easiest was to find a shinobi was to visit their homes.

Of course, she didn't actually know any individual shinobi other than her father's teammates.

Kyoko only knew of a few clans in Konoha, the ones that were usually in the stories her mother told to her. Those were mostly the four founding clans of the village, the Senju, Hyuuga, Uchiha and the Sarutobi clan. And no Nara could grow up without hearing of the Yamanaka and Akimichi clans.

Kyoko stopped on the bridge and looked around, she was in the thick of the shopping district in the heart of the village, she had wandered through here many times and often accompanied her mother on her shopping trips through the district. The Yamanaka flower stall was close by, maybe her Uncle Inoichi would have some time to spare for a match.

Kyoko dodged the odd villager walking down the path and turned a few corners along the way. A shadow passed over her quickly, this was a common thing in a village of shinobi who liked to travel by rooftop.

She rounded the final corner and smiled having come to her destination. The Yamanaka shop was a wide two-story building with the shop on the bottom story. The wide arched doorway opened the flower shop to the road giving it an inviting feel. Outside the building were several large pots filled with beautiful flowering shrubs and pink signs advertising the shop. She strolled into the colourful shop and looked around for the tall blonde man she had intended to visit. She found him in a corner of the shop, tending to some of the pretty blue flowers.

He noticed her walk over and smiled at her, "Well hello there, Kyoko. On a job for your mother?" He asked cheerily, putting down the scissor-like tool he was using.

Kyoko shook her head, "No, I was actually hoping you had a bit of free time." She held up the shogi board in front of her and he eyed it strangely.

"I can make some time, but I warn you, I'm not as good as your dad."

Kyoko chuckled and shook her head, "Yeah, I'm not sure anyone is."

Inoichi raised an eyebrow at her and watched her curiously as he guided her to the store counter and pulled over an extra chair for her. "You know," He began, "You seem a little different today." Kyoko looked up at him as she untied the small bag holding the pieces, "I suppose I am."

The older man said nothing as she tipped the bag over, letting the pieces spill out and clatter against the board. She began moving the pieces into position and once they were set up properly, she handed his remaining five unplaced pawns over to the Yamanaka, "Your toss." He smiled and thanked her, taking the pieces from her little hand. He shook them briefly and scattered them on the board. Three pawns, two promoted pawns, Inoichi had the first move. Kyoko gave a polite bow to the Yamanaka clan head, "Please don't hold back." He paused, gave her a quick glance and placed his pawns in position to make his first move. He smiled at her as he picked up his rook, "If you say so." He said and with a satisfying click, the game began.

Piece after piece was moved into a new position and halfway through the game Kyoko found herself growing more and more confused, some of his moves just made no sense. He played neither defensive nor offensive, sometimes he would simply move a piece back and forth from the same positions, letting her take control of the attack and force him to move. It was frustrating, it seemed like he didn't plan anything and just moved random pieces according to where she focused her pieces. It became obvious to her that she wouldn't figure out his playstyle very quickly by solely versing him in a match.

"Uncle Inoichi?" She spoke and placed her captured pawn in the promotion zone.

"Hmm?" He responded and took a moment to look over the board.

"The Yamanaka have a clan Jutsu, right? Like the Nara has the Shadow Jutsu."

He nodded. "That's right." Inoichi moved his Gold General directly in front of her pawn. She frowned, annoyed by his deliberate sacrifice of a relatively good piece and decided she would leave it there and see what he would do, the pawn was protected so it was unlikely he would take it.

"What is it?" She asked curiously.

Inoichi chuckled at the frown beginning to deepen on her face, "The more commonly known Jutsu of my clan is the Mind Transfer Technique. It allows us to project our minds onto our target and take over their body." He explained. Kyoko had to take a moment to process that. They could take over a person's body? "I didn't know Jutsu like that existed." It seemed like a scary Jutsu to fall victim to.

"There are many, many different types of Jutsu and people are inventing more as the years go by." He took her pawn with his Gold General. She fought off a miffed expression.

"People invent Jutsu?" She asked and took his General with her Lance.

He gave her an incredulous look, "Where do you think they come from? Jutsu was first created by the Sage of Six Paths by harnessing the chakra, or life energy, inside us all and using it to create the supernatural phenomenon we call Jutsu. He passed that knowledge onto the people and we used it to create fire from nothing and shift the earth to our will. Over time, many new Jutsu have been developed for many different purposes. The Nara clan, for example, originally developed their Shadow Bind technique to capture deer." Kyoko watched as he took her captured pawn and placed it in an opening in her formation, she internally cringed, she hadn't seen that spot.

"So would you say your clan style is more offensive than defensive?" He seemed to think about the question briefly, she used this time to analyse the board a little bit more. His next turn he could promote that pawn and use it to push her out of her area, that and his bishop was annoyingly lined up with her escape route. She placed the captured Gold General in position to capture his bishop.

"While each individual has their own style, I think the Yamanaka are more inclined to supportive roles on the battlefield." This caught her attention enough to pry her focus from the board.

"Supportive?" She asked, "Even with your clans Jutsu?"

Inoichi nodded and moved his silver general to protect his bishop. She all but glared at the Silver General, she was beginning to see the supportive aspects of his gameplay. She positioned her own Silver General to block off the pawn that threatened her within her area. "The Mind-Body Technique doesn't come without its flaws on the battlefield. It's most effective in psychological interrogation." She gave him a confused look, "Psycho-what?" Inoichi chuckled and tapped the side of his head with his finger, "Psychological. The mind and how it thinks, the information it holds and how it's processed, the way people react and what feelings they show. It's all thanks to what's in here."

She was aware that knowledge came from the mind but she didn't know it was to that extent. "And your Clan Jutsu can," She paused trying to find the word, "Access this? Get into peoples heads, not just their bodies." Inoichi smiled, "It is called the Mind-Body technique after all." He moved his Lance from the back of his side of the board to clip down nicely beside her king, protected by his Bishop, he flipped the piece over to promote it.

Her eyes widened, "Checkmate, I believe."

What?

What just happened?

Her brain was still trying to process, how the hell did she not notice that?

The Lance had a direct line to checkmate her and she had cut off her only way out. It wasn't even a decoy, she just hadn't noticed it. She made so many mistakes because she hadn't noticed her opponents plan.

Was she so preoccupied with their conversation that she simply didn't see it?

How could she let it distract her?

Wait a second, her thoughts paused. Her eyes flickered up to him, steel black pools demanded answers. Had he?

Inoichi gave her a knowing smile and tapped the side of his head, similar to the way he had only a minute ago. Shock filled her.

He had!

All his confusing moves, his fake sacrifices and repeated movements had all been deliberately set up to distract her, to leave her semi unfocused without her realising it. It was amazing, she couldn't help the grin that stretched across her face.

"Once more please!"

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

As it turned out, even if she knew her opponent was playing mind games with her, having the Yamanaka head as her opponent meant he fooled her anyway.

With two more losses tucked under her belt, she trudged out from the Yamanaka flower shop happier than she thought she would be after her sixth consecutive loss. The way Inoichi played was eye-opening in terms of strategy. He had taught her that the game wasn't just on the board but in the mind too, keeping a level head while trying to upset the focus of her opponent.

Kyoko looked up at the sun, it was just a little before midday, plenty of time to find another opponent. The Yamanaka shop was south of the Nara forest, near the south-eastern gate. She looked to the left at the path that crossed over the river that ran into Konoha. If she took that path, it would lead her to the main village gates at the south-west of the village. That area was mostly shops and restaurants, it was the road that most travellers used when they come to the village. Further west of the main gate was the Akimichi Estate.

She liked her Uncle Choza, the head of the Akimichi clan, he was a bright and happy man with a reasonable manner and uncommon patience. But she had a feeling that her Uncle Choza wasn't much for shogi, from what she had seen, his wisdom was more emotional and real-world than hypothetical tactical games.

Also, the Akimichi Estate was a, somewhat, far away walk.

The road to her right would lead her directly into the centre of the village. If she cut across the training ground before she hit the residential area then she'd practically already be at the Hyuga compound. Kyoko looked to her left, then to the right and back to the left again. Akimichi, where she was guaranteed a game or the Hyuuga where she knew no one.

What was it her mother would say when she didn't want to try something new? Nothing tried, nothing earned? That sounded close enough.

With that in mind, she turned to the right and made her way to the Hyuuga compound carrying her father's shogi set.

The entrance to the Hyuga compound loomed not too far away from one of the large bridges that stretched over the Naka river that twisted through the village. Peeking her head past the wooden frame Kyoko shifted her eyes over the compound. There was a large open courtyard in the centre with a single tree in the far corner. The large traditional two-story building wrapped around the courtyard. Two paths off to each side led around to the back of the houses to what Kyoko could only guess to be more homes for the rest of the clan.

There were three people sparing in the courtyard and another man sitting on the engawa that wrapped around the outside of the house. She stood there watching the three men in the courtyard sparring for a brief moment. Until they halted their spar and turned their gaze to her direction.

She caught sight of their veined pale eyes and felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Do you have business here, child?" One of the men's deep baritone voice called to her.

Kyoko swallowed down the nerves bubbling up in her throat and took small steps through the gate and into the courtyard. All four men watched her as she approached. Her eyes darted over them all quickly then refocused on the man who called out to her.

Kyoko approached the man and bowed politely, "I apologise for disturbing. I was wanting to ask if someone could spare some time to play a game of Shogi against me."

The men fell silent and the prominent veins faded from the men's eyes. The man she was addressing crossed his arms and his eyes darted to the side to the man sitting on the wooden panelling of the engawa.

"Hizashi may have time."

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

"Hyuga, huh? How was it?" Shikaku asked his daughter, sipping quietly at his tea.

His daughter sat across the table from him slumped back in her chair and glaring at the roof.

"Brutal." Was her reply.

He didn't doubt it. "The Hyuuga possess the Byakugan, a power that resides in the eyes of their family, otherwise known as a Dojutsu, to see the chakra flow inside a person. They use this in battle to target the Chakra Tenkketsu points inside their foe. Destroying them from inside."

Kyoko snorted in annoyance, "Yeah. Destroyed from the inside, accurate."

She sighed and heaved herself into an upright position then followed the momentum and slumped across the table. "I haven't won a single game." She whined.

Shikaku shook his head, of course she hadn't won a game. She'd only just learnt it.

"Perhaps you need a younger opponent." He suggested, she bought her head up and rested her chin on the table, looking straight at him.

"Whoever I'm going to be versing will probably be way older than me, Pa. I can't pull my punches in practice." He said nothing in response to her and took another sip from his cup.

She was right of course, whoever won was most likely going to be around 10 years older than his daughter. That thought made his tea taste thoroughly bitter. "Who are you going to target tomorrow?" He asked her when the green cup was finally empty.

She sighed and moved her forehead to press against the table. "The only clans I have left are the Uchiha, Inuzuka and Aburame. And I've been told that the Inuzuka aren't one for Shogi. So that leaves me with just the Uchiha." Kyoko hauled herself to sit properly and grabbed at the small glass filled with water. She dragged it over to her and cradled it in her smaller hands.

"What about the Aburame?" he asked and watched his daughter shiver in distaste.

"No thanks."

So his daughter wasn't a fan of bugs, he smirked.

"So, the Uchiha, huh?" Kyoko sighed again. She did that a lot now, he noticed.

Her steel black eyes flickered up to him. "Do you think I shouldn't?" Internally, Shikaku recoiled, as if the blood in his veins froze. "What makes you say that?" He asked but really, he didn't need to. He already knew. But still, he needed to hear the words from a four-year-olds mouth.

"The villagers talk."

She paused, "Complain." She corrected herself, "They only say bad things about the clan."

Shikaku closed his eyes and thought. The Uchiha were in a bad spot, slowly but surely tensions were rising. The villagers who are opposed to the Uchiha for being the police were the loudest and their words were becoming an infectious opinion. The Uchiha, on the other hand, were becoming agitated by their situation. With so many of their shinobi becoming one of the police force, their ninja never tended to advance over Chunin and the older members of the clan saw the lost potential of the once great clan. Uchiha Shisui was their only shining jewel and the boy had just recently been pulled from the front lines after his Genin teammates died in battle and the war unofficially ending.

"Just do what you want to do." Kyoko blinked and looked up at him.

She hummed in thought, closing her eyes and crossing her arms with her head tilted back slightly. A warm hand on his shoulder was all he could feel as he watched his daughter. His eyes slid over to his wife. A small smile on her face in a distinctly 'I told you so' manner. He frowned at her and her smile grew.

Your daughter is more like you than you'd be willing to even think, Shikaku.

Her words from earlier in the week still rang clear in his head. It was this same sentence that drove him to that fourth bottle of sake. Only now that he was actually watching, interested, that he began to pick up the subtle quirks of his that she seemed to have adopted.

"I'd recommend looking for an Uchiha by the name of Shisui."

Kyoko's dark eyes fluttered open and peered at him curiously. "Shisui?" She asked.

Shikaku nodded, "He's a Chunin a few years older than yourself. He should still be able to give you a run for your money though. The kid is quite clever."

Kyoko looked into her glass of water and bought it to her mouth. She threw the water back, drinking it all in one.

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

All in all, it took her most of the afternoon to find this Uchiha Shisui. She had spoken to a total of twelve different people and checked three different training grounds before she discovered the right one.

The boy she found matched the descriptions of dark fluffy hair, wearing a black wide-collared shirt and a tanto strapped to his back.

What she didn't expect was to find the boy laying on his back, on the ground, covered in dirt.

She approached him carefully. Being a ninja, she knew the boy already knew she was there. He'd be a pretty poor ninja if he couldn't sense a four-year-old approaching him. She halted her approach roughly a meter away from the boy and waited.

He turned to her after a few seconds. His eyes were red. Not the famous Dojutsu of the Uchiha Sharingan red she had heard about.

Bloodshot.

His dark eyes were lined with bags, the same she'd seen on her father after he had a particularly hard night. The boy glanced her over, taking in her appearance and the Shogi board she had cradled in her arms. She wore her favourite tan dress and a cream light coat over the top and her normal black ninja-style sandals she'd gotten for her most recent birthday. She wondered what the dark-eyed boy saw when he looked at her.

"Can I help you?" He asked, his voice was raspy like he was dying from thirst.

"Are you Uchiha Shisui?" She asked. Better to make sure she had the right boy first.

The boy sat up and folded his legs underneath him, "Yeah, that's me. What can I do for a little lady like yourself?" Kyoko blinked, his voice evened out in a matter of seconds and a cherry light spread across his face.

She couldn't tell if he was faking it or not. Kyoko held out the Shogi board towards him and bowed. "Please spare some time and play a game against me." Shisui frowned and turned his head in confusion. "Why?" He asked.

Kyoko blinked again in surprise, "Ahh..." She trailed off, she hadn't been confronted by this question yet so she wasn't too sure how to respond to it. Shisui must have seen her dilemma, he patted the grassy ground in front of him and offered her to sit.

Eventually, she found her words. "If I don't get good enough then I'll be married off to some lazy jerk way older than me and be forced to be a housewife for the rest of my life." Shisui simply stared at her, then scratched the back of his neck and chuckled. "Well, I guess that's a good reason. Alright then, I can play a few games. Though, it's been a while since I've actually played Shogi."

Kyoko smiled and shook her head, placing the board on the grass between them and spilling the pieces on the board. "It's alright, I haven't even won a single game yet, so I think you have a good chance."

The training grounds were quiet save for the song of the birds and clicking of Shogi pieces setting on the board. Kyoko glanced over to the Uchiha boy across from her. He was silent for the entire game so far, his eyes were clearing and the sombre mood he held to faded just a little. He moved his piece and his dark eyes flicked up to her. Endless pools blacker than a moonless night. "Yes?" He asked.

She wasn't expecting him to talk, let alone question her on her blatant staring. So, naturally, the only thing that rolled out of her mouth was a "What?"

He rose an equally dark eyebrow in question, "You were staring." This was fact, he was pointing it out for her to explain. She wasn't going to answer, she knew from the shinobi headband he wore that this boy had been on the front lines of the war. He had seen the true despair of the world and she didn't doubt that the boy had lost a comrade in the process. She knew from her father that asking of the war was a bad idea.

Her silence dragged on as they continued playing their game. Shisui's playstyle was one that Kyoko found highly intriguing. It was obvious to her, even as a beginner, that the boy didn't play Shogi often at all. He made simple mistakes and forgot the move set of his silver knight twice.

And yet, "Check."

He was pushing her into a corner. She took a breath and analysed the board. The way he moved his pieces around the board was not unique but a the same time, it was. There were feints and distractions scattered through a frontal assault. What's more, despite being on the attack, no piece was left entirely unguarded. Any piece he took he deployed once short a piece. It was an annoying but flexible strategy.

She moved her king out of check and he followed, "Check."

She moved again.

And again.

And again.

Until the game was lost.

"And that's checkmate." Shisui declared with a small grin. Kyoko sighed in irritation, adding another loss to her collection. This boy was only a few years older than her and yet, he was a tactician. He was a shinobi, Kyoko reminded herself. Her eyes flicking up to the steel of his headband. Any ninja that returned from the frontlines of war would have to be at least somewhat tactical, she rationalised.

"Would you mind playing again?" Shisui smiled at her question and crossed his arms as he sat proudly.

"Only if you give me your name. It's unfair that you already know mine."

Kyoko smiled a little, "I'm Nara Kyoko. It's nice to meet you, Shisui-san." Shisui nodded his head and agreed with her.

They set the board once again.

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

"Shisui?" Once again, for the second week in a row, the thirteenth consecutive day. Two young children sat in one of the training grounds the Leaf village had to offer. It was the same training grounds where they had first met. Every day they would play a few games of shogi. Kyoko had come to find her first friend in Shisui. He was a grounded person with a bright outlook on life that was infectious.

Shisui looked up at her curious tone and hummed his questioning reply.

"What's it like? Being a ninja?" The older boy closed his eyes in thought and hummed again in contemplation. "It's hard work."

That was to be expected. She already knew that nothing came easy. She'd learnt that recently enough that the prospect was still solid in her mind. She didn't mind hard work, despite being a Nara, despite all the narrow-minded labels, so long as it wasn't wasting her time. Wasted time bothered her, effectively used time solved many problems one came across.

Kyoko rolled her eyes, "Thanks, that tells me so much." Kyoko said sarcastically.

Shisui chuckled at the agitation in her voice. "Why ask if you already knew then?"

Kyoko thought briefly and replied, "It's somewhat expected of me to become a ninja then get married and birth the next clan heir. But I'm not going to be a ninja if it all becomes pointless as a wife. And I'm not going to become a housewife if I'm a ninja." Shisui raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't want to be married off." Kyoko hummed in agreement.

"But do I want to be a ninja?" She said out loud.

"Ahh." Shisui said, understanding her original question. He flopped back onto the ground and kept his eyes trained on the trees above. "It's painful." He said, "But as long as to have something that makes it worth the pain then it's okay."

Kyoko watched him curiously. "Why did you become a ninja, Shisui-san." Shisui frowned slightly, "Thought I told you to drop the 'san' off. I'm just Shisui."

"At first, it was because I wanted to be recognised by the clan but now..." He trailed off, "But now that I've seen the war, I've lost friends and killed so many people. I just want to keep those I love safe. I want to protect what little peace I have in my life."

Kyoko found this to be an honourable reason. There was nothing wrong with valuing one life over another. It was just the way people worked. Kyoko thought of the people she loved. Her mother and her father first came to mind. But they didn't really need protecting. Both her parents were shinobi themselves, granted her mother retired but she was still a trained ninja.

What would she protect?

She drew a blank.

Shisui drew her from her train of thought, "I'll be going on a mission in a few days, so I won't be around for a bit." This saddened her slightly, she was really beginning to enjoy the older boys company. Also, he was the perfect shogi partner. She hadn't won a game yet, but she could tell she was improving and that was something that she needed.

Kyoko pouted and sighed. Now she needed a new person to play against.

"I've been watching this kid in my clan train for a few months." Shisui started, "It's obvious that the kid wants to be a ninja and he's pretty smart. I've been thinking about befriending him, but I've mostly chickened out every time."

Kyoko couldn't imagine Shisui shying away from anyone. He was such a verbal person, just shy of a social butterfly. "You chickened out of talking to a kid?" Kyoko asked.

Shisui went quiet then, "I chickened out of making a friend."

Oh, she thought. This, all her intuition told her, was a touchy subject.

"Wasn't till you came along and didn't give me much of a choice on the matter that I saw how dumb I was being." A small grin stretched across his face. Kyoko was slightly confused.

"Me? What did I do?" She asked. The boy's black eyes stayed fixated above them. "You reminded me that having a friend is important." Kyoko hesitated, "We're friends?" Shisui blinked in surprise and looked down at her, "Well yeah, why not?" He said.

Kyoko panicked and waved her hands in defence, "It's not that I don't want to be friends..." She trailed off and felt a blush of embarrassment creep up on her face. "I've just, never had a friend before. So I don't really know anything about being one."

Shisui smiled brightly at her, "You're a sweet girl, Kyoko." Kyoko frowned at his words, she supposed they were a compliment, but it made her feel little. She didn't like being little. She shrugged it off and pulled her legs into her chest, a slightly more comfortable position than her folded legs.

"So, you going to talk to this kid or what?" Shisui hummed, "You know, you shouldn't leave out words when you're talking. You might confuse some people." Kyoko huffed and stared past the boy into the shadows of the trees, "You're just being picky. You understood me perfectly."

Shisui snorted a chuckle at her defensiveness. "I'm going to introduce myself to him tomorrow, if things go well, I'll bring him along." He was going to introduce the kid to her too. Did Shisui intended to replace himself with the other kid while he was on a mission? Would she also gain a new friend?

Kyoko smirked. "Don't chicken out this time."

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

Shisui lurked in a grove of cedar trees not far behind the main Uchiha house.

A young boy stood in the dark shadows of the wooded area. The boy held eight kunai, four in each hand, and breathed evenly. He knew who this boy was, even if Shisui hadn't been following him for the last few months he would still know who this boy was. He was Uchiha Itachi, son of the head of his clan and its heir.

This was a boy, a child who had been shown the hell of war. His father had taken him to the front lines and had his child gaze out at the battlefield.

Shisui couldn't say he approved of Fugaku-sama's methods but Itachi, who's genius was becoming more and more prominent, needed to understand what the older generations were passing on to him. Making Itachi aware of the hell of war would make him more likely to survive it. Still, it shouldn't have had to happen.

Ever since the boy had come back from the front, he had thrown himself into ninja training. It concerned Shisui. Itachi was a strange boy, mature and sharp for his age but isolated. Completely unsociable. He didn't leave the compound so he hadn't made any friends and what little Uchiha children there were tended to shy away from his advanced nature.

Shisui watched as the boy's eyes snapped open and he launched himself off the ground. From the air, Itachi gave a quick and deliberate flick.

Thk! Thk! Thk!

The sound of the kunai embedding into the centre of the wooden targets hanging from the tree echoed. Shisui smiled. Damn this kid was good, he thought. He decided to voice this, "Not bad at all."

The youngest boy whirled around from his landed position and searched for the origin of the voice. Finding Shisui leaning against a tree, Itachi straightened and his eyes scanned over him. They began at his feet, no doubt taking Shisui's relaxed posture in mind and dismissing him as an immediate threat. Itachi's eyes stopped on the regulation headband that sat snugly on his forehead.

"How old are you?" Shisui asked, creating conversation, even though he already knew the kid was around the same age as Kyoko.

"Four." Itachi said shortly.

Shisui whistled impressed. "You're really something. Being that good with kunai at your age is impressive." Shisui complimented but the boy's face remained passive and unresponsive.

Shisui flinched mentally, no reaction from this kid huh. He opted for a different approach and offered his hand in greeting, "I'm Uchiha Shisui." He said warmly. Itachi made no move to take his hand, "I'm-"

"Uchiha Itachi, Military Police Chief Fugaku's kid, I know." Now Itachi just looked confused, the boy was probably wondering why Shisui was even here.

Shisui closed his eyes for a brief second and shrugged. This was harder than he expected, befriending Itachi. "I knew you were a strange kid and you don't really talk to anyone. But man, you sure are stubborn, huh?" Shisui was an honest person and sometimes words just flowed right out of him, this was one of those times when he wanted to stuff the words back in his mouth.

As expected, Itachi didn't seem to care for his honesty. "If you don't need anything..." 'Go away' was left unsaid to keep polite facades.

Shisui's inner voice was shaking his head in disappointment, dismissed like a four-year-old by a four-year-old. How could he get through to this kid that he just wanted to be friends? His eyes flickered to the glint of the kunai embedded in the targets. Maybe he could impress him? Show him that Shisui was someone worth having around. It was worth a shot.

"Well, I wouldn't say that." Shisui opened his arms wide, bringing all of Itachi's attention onto him. Then he flickered up. Using the Body Flicker Jutsu was somewhat second nature after all the time he had spent into perfecting it. He felt the usual rush that came with the speed enhancing Jutsu. Shisui was in the air in a fraction of a second, following the same moves Itachi had displayed earlier. He slipped four kunai in each hand and with eight flashes the weapons were embedded immediately beside Itachi's kunai.

"Woah!" Itachi's dark eyes shined with amazement. Shisui chuckled and settled into a small smile. "I'm not too bad with kunai either, right?" Shisui once again just went with the flow and approached Itachi slowly, "I've been watching you train around here for a while." Shisui stopped just in front of Itachi and once again offered his hand, "Let's be friends."

There was a heartbeat of a pause, then Shisui felt a smaller hand in his own. It was slightly colder than his own, but it was there. Shisui couldn't help the beaming smile that crept onto his face.

Finally, he thought.

Shisui spent the next hour attempting to converse with Itachi, he got answers but they were minimal at best. Mundane things with the briefest answers possible. Itachi liked training, his goal for the future was to get stronger and his favourite food was onigiri.

Onigiri.

_Onigiri_.

Honestly, how plain could this kid get? But, in a way, it made Itachi unique.

The sun had risen to its midday point. Kyoko would be showing up at the training grounds soon, dragging around that well-ventured shogi board. He was honestly a little tired of playing shogi. The headache it gave him afterwards was not worth the victory. It took a lot of concentration and mental energy to beat her in shogi, she was progressing remarkably well for her age, so the difficulty only increased.

He had tried throwing in the towel, letting her win. Until she got hostile after she noticed and demand that they restart and Shisui give it his all. He admired her for it. Apparently, she had lost 43 times consecutively. That took determination, he would have given up at, say, the 20th loss.

Shisui's eyes flickered over to Itachi who sat beside him. Practising a chakra trick to stick kunai to the back of his hand. Shisui had shown him only a few minutes ago and to Shisui's surprise, he was struggling. Of course, having naturally larger chakra reserves made it difficult to learn how to finite control it.

"I have to go soon." Itachi's eyes flickered up to him. The hesitance and disappointment filled the young boy's black eyes. "Where?"

Shisui blinked at this curveball. This was the first question Itachi had asked that didn't directly relate to shinobi training. Did Itachi not want him to leave? "I have to go meet up with another friend of mine." Shisui watched as Itachi's eyes slid to the side and a deeper sadness filled them.

Shock settled in him, did Itachi already value him so highly? They had been here for little more than an hour. Shisui paused in his thought and reminded himself that Itachi was four. He was a young boy that had probably never had a friend, never wanted to spend social time with someone. Shisui considered himself lucky. His heart warmed at the notion of being missed, there weren't many people left that would miss him, but he missed them.

"You want to come?" Shisui asked and surprise flickered onto Itachi's face.

The boy visibly hesitated and looked like he was about to reject the offer. "I'd like it if you came." Shisui interrupted Itachi before he could even speak, "You and Kyoko are the only friends I've got now. It'd be cool if we all got along." Itachi blinked in smothered confusion and took a moment to think.

"Okay." Shisui felt himself beaming once again at the boy.

"Awesome. Let's go. Best not keep the princess waiting." Shisui led the way.

"Princess?"

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

Itachi stared at the small girl with dark hair, slightly longer than his, as she frowned at Shisui. When Shisui first said he had another friend, Itachi felt something akin to disappointment and jealousy.

Of course someone as warm and friendly as Shisui would have other friends. So it was natural that he was shocked to find out the older boy had only one other friend, that was a girl. It was also natural that he was compelled by curiosity to find out what sort of person she was. To top it all off, Shisui called her princess. Only now did he see that the nickname didn't fit her at all, if anything, it had been a joke to himself.

The girls face had been set in a frown since before they had even arrived in the training field. Her eyes were trained to the board as she moved pieces around. Only when Shisui sat on the other side of the board did the girl shift her gaze up. She looked at Shisui and her eyes briefly flickered over to him. She sighed and moved all of the pieces on the board into what Itachi assumed was the beginning position.

He had seen this game once before in the village, but he didn't know anything about it, he didn't even know its name.

Shisui moved the piece first and she soon followed after.

This hadn't been what Itachi was expecting, he didn't know what he was expecting but this was definitely not it. Itachi stood off the side of Shisui slightly, not really knowing what to do. Several clicks later her frown deepened and her eyes snapped up to him.

Itachi swallowed his surprise, her eyes were black but at the same time almost not. They reminded him of the black steel of his kunai, undertones of grey, changing shades in light and shadows.

"Can you sit down?" Kyoko snapped, "I'm trying to concentrate." The bite in her tone all but threw him off, he didn't expect such hostility from the girl.

"Wow, you sure are in a bad mood today." Shisui remarked.

Not knowing what else to do, Itachi sat on the grass beside the two, they now formed a semicircle around the square patterned board.

"Gee, thanks for pointing out my foul mood, Shisui. That just makes me feel loads better." Both boys recoiled slightly at the malice in her voice. Shisui went from joking concern to worry.

"What happened?" Shisui asked.

Kyoko sighed again, for the second time, he counted.

"The date of the tournament has been pushed up." The venom vanished from her tone and her tense posture relaxed slightly.

"Oh." Was the older boys reply. "How much?"

"In a month." Shisui cringed.

Itachi had no idea what they were talking about, he felt lost, a little disconnected in the conversation. Not that he was attempting to join in at all. Still, the lack of information bothered him.

"You're going on a mission tomorrow," This was news to Itachi, "and I'm still not good enough to win yet." The girl stared at the board with what Itachi could only call a sad expression.

"Surely you have other people you can play against?"

Her dark eyes looked up into the trees, "I play against Uncle Inoichi when he has time and Hizashi-san if he isn't busy with his son. But those times are few and random. Dad is at work so often that I only see him at the dinner table and he's too tired to play most of the time." Shisui closed his eyes and folded his arms, he seemed to do that when thinking, Itachi noted. Shisui's eyes opened and flickered over to him. Itachi met and held Shisui's gaze not wanting to back down. Itachi felt uncomfortable with the gleam in the older boys eyes.

"How 'bout it?" Shisui asked and Itachi had absolutely no idea what the boy was talking about. His confusion must have shown, "Wanna play shoji?"

Well, at least he now had a name for the game they were playing. "I don't know how."

Shisui's smile grew and waved off Itachi's excuse. "No problem! We'll teach you, right Kyoko?"

The girl stared at Shisui with a flat look and Shisui's smile turned sheepish. Sighing for the third time she turned to Itachi, "If you want to learn, I'd appreciate it." The politeness in her voice made him re-evaluate his quick judgment of her being a rather snappy person. Maybe today was just a bad day?

"Battle tactics are an important part of being a shinobi." The blatant attempt at convincing him made Itachi slightly suspicious.

"Shisui," Her tone was scolding, "Stop trying to convince him. If he wants to learn, he'll learn. Either way, you're not getting out of playing against me." Shisui just chuckled.

Itachi looked at the board and the girl, she didn't seem as thorny as she did a few minutes ago. His eyes and thoughts turned to the board, Shisui did have a point. Battle tactics were important. Since this was apparently a convincing factor for Itachi to learn the game perhaps he should give it a shot. Itachi nodded his head slightly and Shisui visibly brightened, "I'd like to learn this game."

"Okay then." "Great!" They said at the same time.

The board was reset and they both spent time explaining the game to him. The piece move set, the rules, the objective, tips and tricks and they began the game. Before he knew it, the sky was darkening as the sun dipped towards the horizon. It was getting late. Shisui must have seen his sky turned gaze and echoed Itachi's thoughts out loud.

"We should all be heading home." Itachi agreed, he had stayed out later than he usually would, he might even be late for dinner and that was unusual.

They all stood from their spots on the ground and brushed themselves off. Itachi watched the birds fly into their nest ready for the night that was quickly approaching. Shisui stretched out beside him, Itachi could relate. He had never sat in the same position for so long before this day. The jingle of shogi pieces being piled into a small green pouch took his attention. The girl's fingers were nimble, he noticed as he watched her pack up the game and stand perfectly unbothered by the time spent sitting. He briefly wondered how long she mulled over the game every day.

She looked over to the two of them. "Good luck on your mission tomorrow Shisui." She then turned to Itachi and went to speak but paused. Her face moulded into shock and she buried her face in her free hand. "I'm so sorry." This girl continued to surprise him, "I was in such a bad mood, I didn't even introduce myself or ask for your name."

Now that Itachi had thought about it, he knew her name but he continuously called her girl in his head. Well, he was just as guilty. Itachi offered his hand, like Shisui had earlier that day, "Uchiha Itachi." The girl, Kyoko, he corrected himself, looked at him with slight shock that soon melted into a bright grin.

She took his hand and her warmth filled his palm, "My name's Kyoko. It's nice to make a new friend." The peaceful ambience around the group of new friends made Itachi feel more comfortable than he ever had before. It's nice, he concluded.

"I'll see you guys later." Kyoko waved, still wearing the bright grin, and turned around with one final look back she started lightly running out the training grounds. "Where's she going?" Itachi asked Shisui as they watched her go. Shisui gave him a visibly confused look, "Home."

But...

His confusion was paused when Shisui started laughing loudly. The older boy laced his hands behind his head and they turned in the direction of the Uchiha compound. "Yeah, I thought she was an Uchiha too, at first." So she wasn't an Uchiha. That would make Kyoko the first person outside the clan he spent time with. "She's Nara Kyoko. Her father's the Jounin commander so people around the village know her pretty well but she isn't really a people person. She's a weird kid, like you." Itachi had no response to this. He knew of both the Nara clan and Kyoko's father, his own talked about the Jounin commander from time to time.

"How did you meet her?" He asked.

Shisui snorted, "What do you think? She wrangled me into playing shogi against her one day and I haven't been able to escape." Itachi had the feeling Shisui was exaggerating but decided to humour him anyway, "Escape?" Shisui crossed his arms and nodded strongly. "It takes a lot of energy and patience to play shogi every day, multiple times a day. I'm just not cut out for it. I have to escape before I fall to the pits of shogi hell." Now the boy was overtly joking.

"Why does she even play so much?" This was a question that had been turning in his mind for the last half hour or so.

Shisui's joking air faded into a more serious tone. "Ahh, well. Kyoko is the firstborn of the head of the Nara clan. Surely you can relate to the expectations that come with that." He could, "But Kyoko, being a girl and all, has it a bit different to you." How did that make things any different?

"How so?"

"Well, the Nara is a crazy old clan, almost as old as the Uchiha. They have certain traditions and customs, one of them is that the clan head is always male. So whenever the firstborn is a girl, a shogi tournament is held to decide who will marry her and become the next clan leader."

Itachi never really liked traditions, they were just ideals pushed onto the younger generation by the old. Shisui continued, "The only way Kyoko can get out of it is if she beats whoever wins the tournament in shogi. Even then, that's only temporary, until the next tournament and the next one and the one after that, until she loses." Itachi felt like he understood her drive and the intensity of her frustrations more from hearing her conflict. "The Nara clan are known for being tactical geniuses, she's fighting a losing battle and she knows it. Got to give her credit though, she's ballsy, trying to defy her clan."

The sun had set by the time they arrived at the compound. Itachi was, for the first time, late for dinner. He could have made it back in time if he had rushed back but he enjoyed simply walking back with Shisui, the companionship was tranquil and warm.

Shisui stopped at what Itachi guessed to be his home, "Want me to walk you back?"

Itachi shook his head, "I'm fine."

Shisui nodded, "I'm going on a mission for a week but I'll see you when I get back, yeah?" Itachi made a sound of agreement. "Look after Kyoko while I'm gone." The grin that formed on Shisui's mouth was cheeky. Itachi had a feeling Shisui was going to enjoy the break from shogi.

"I will."

Shisui nodded and turned to his home, giving Itachi a short wave. Itachi carried on down the street and stepped through the doors of his home. The smell of his mothers cooking reminded him that he hadn't eaten lunch. Itachi took off his shoes and arranged them neatly. He stepped up onto the wooden floor and made his way into the dining area.

Both his parents looked at him from the table, "You're late." His father said in his callous voice.

Itachi apologised and sat at the table, saying a quick thanks for his meal and restrained himself from shovelling it into his mouth.

"What have you been doing today, Itachi?" His mother asked him with a small smile, "Your filthy."

Itachi looked over himself at her statement. His pants had collected dirt and grass from sitting in the training field and he had tiny pieces of autumn leaves stuck to his clothes. He hadn't noticed, he hadn't cared, he still didn't.

"I was training, then I made some new friends." This seemed to catch the full attention of his parents.

"That's lovely, Itachi." His mother voiced first.

"Who?" His father's question was almost immediately after his mother's words.

"Shisui."

"Our Shisui?" His mother interrupted him and he nodded taking another bite of his dinner.

"You said friends, who else?" His father continued the interrogation.

"Nara Kyoko." There was a slight pause, "Shikaku's daughter?" Itachi supposed that was his name but didn't confirm or deny it.

"Shisui is a good comrade to have but you should be more selective with the quality of those you surround yourself with." Itachi felt a bubble of anger and a need to defend his friend.

"Kyoko is my friend." That was final, already established, unchangeable. It was the first time he had ever openly defied his father.

"Hn." Was the only response he got from the man.

"It's good that you've made some friends, Itachi."

And there was his mother, ever the peacekeeper and he loved her dearly for it.

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

Kyoko sat in the same training field as all the days prior. She knew Shisui wouldn't be coming today, he was on his mission. There was a chance Itachi could show up but she had never asked him to so there was more of a chance that he wouldn't. Still, she found herself in the same spot as ever. Glaring at the same board with the same pieces dancing over it.

Yet her mind drifted.

She had been having trouble focusing all day. It was mostly out of worry for Shisui. Yeah, he was a ninja who could handle himself but that didn't stop her from thinking the worst. Anything could happen on a mission.

The war was quickly coming to a close, even though according to her father it was mostly over already but danger still lurked. What if he happened across a rogue ninja or if his squad got ambushed or they got separated or lost.

A black figure sat directly across the shogi board from her. Her eyes snapped up in surprise, startled from her thoughts. Itachi watched her with his ever quiet eyes. Her eyes flicked further up to the sun, it was mid-morning at best, she hadn't expected him to show up so early if at all.

"Morning." He greeted. Her gaze met his inky black eyes, "Morning."

It started off a little awkward at first, both children not having much experience in socialising with others but eventually, the awkwardness faded and they settled into a peaceful appreciation for the simple company. Kyoko fiddled with the pieces on the shoji board but mostly stared at the swaying red leaves decorating the trees.

A catch of light caught her attention. Itachi had taken out a kunai knife and was staring at it with a fierce determination. He had the kunai attached to his pointer finger as his hand was parallel to the ground. It was like he had glued it to the tip of his finger, defying all sense of gravity. His frown deepened and the kunai wavered slightly, even though there was nothing around to disturb it. Suddenly the kunai dropped and Itachi's hand snapped out with lightning-fast reflexes to snatch the kunai out of the air before it fell to the ground.

"Awesome." Itachi's surprise at her comment was obvious.

"How did you do that?" She questioned.

Itachi held up the kunai, "Shisui showed me it yesterday. If you focus the perfect amount of chakra to the spot you want, it will stick." Chakra, the life force accessible by ninja that allowed them to perform extraordinary feats like walking on water and summoning lightning, Kyoko recited in her head.

The metal caught the sun on its razor edge. It was only now that Kyoko realised this was a kunai he was holding. No one gave children real kunai, especially sharp ones.

"Why do you have a kunai?"

Itachi frowned at her question, "I use it to train?" His reply was mixed with a question as to why she was asking.

"Train? To be a ninja?"

The boy nodded. Did he want to be a ninja or was it expected of him?

"Why?"

Itachi's eyes flickered off to the side as he thought, "I want to become a ninja among ninja who can stop war."

Wow, Kyoko thought, now that was a goal.

"You want to stop all war... You've seen it?"

Itachi nodded and a darkness passed over his face. "My father took me out there a few months ago." Itachi went silent, then, "It was utter hell."

She felt a cold shiver wash over her. "Are you going to enter the academy?" Itachi asked, moving away from the topic of the war.

Kyoko hesitated, he had told her it was only fair she give him an honest answer. "It's expected of me to, but no one really expects me to stay a ninja all my life. My clan wants me to retire and be the perfect little housewife." She screwed up her nose in distaste, "If I become a ninja, I want to put everything I have into it. Become the best I can be and explore my limits."

Itachi nodded as if he understood her perfectly. "Well, why don't you start now?" Kyoko looked at the Uchiha boy sitting across from her, "I want to have a reason." Itachi made a strange sound she couldn't place, a sort of "Hn." she had no idea what it meant.

"Even if you don't have a reason now, doesn't mean you shouldn't prepare and get a head start." Kyoko shrugged her shoulders, "I wouldn't even know where to start." He stared at her for a moment then stood up.

"With Kata and kunai. Stand up, I'll show you."

Shock numbed her mind, but her body followed his order anyway. Were they really going to do this now?

Well, it wasn't like she was going to be able to play any shogi today with how fickle her mind was being. Itachi positioned his body in a basic fighting stance next to her. "Copy me." She did. Moving her legs apart and standing strong with her arms up as a guard. Itachi switched his position, he stepped out with his left leg using his left arm as a low block. She followed his example. Right step, right punch. They turned around to face the opposite direction. Right step, right low block. Left step, left punch, turn. Kyoko followed him through the steps like a dance. She wobbled a few times and stumbled once but he always waited for her to get the correct position before moving on to the next position.

That was all they did for a solid hour until she had every step memorised and he no longer needed to wait for her to get the position. Until they moved perfectly in sync.

When Itachi pulled out his kunai again and offered it to her, she hesitated. The kata was using her body but this kunai was a weapon. It had the potential to kill. Kyoko didn't know if she was ready for that yet.

The gentle look in Itachi's eye gave her the confidence and encouragement she needed. The kunai was heavier than expected. The metal sucked the warmth from her skin and the glint of the steel held her mesmerised for a short second.

"Try throwing it at that tree." Itachi said and pointed to a tree not too far from them. Kyoko buried the butterflies in her stomach and pulled her arm back and threw.

The kunai landed with a clang.

"That was the worst I have ever seen."

Kyoko felt her face flame in pure embarrassment, "Shut up! Like you did any better on your first time."

The taunting grin on Itachi's face said otherwise.

His eyes went behind them, "I, at least, threw it in the right direction."

Kyoko felt it was impossible for her face to get any hotter. She whirled around and went after the wayward kunai. She returned to his side and tried again.

And again. And again. "You're really bad at this." He commented after her tenth miss.

She whirled around and faced him. The hot blush of embarrassment was still present on her face. "Then teach me, damn it!" Itachi had this catlike grin on his face ever since she had thrown the first kunai. This grin crept higher, "Maybe next time."

He turned to leave, back in the direction of the Uchiha compound.

"What!? Uchiha! Get your ass back here and show me how to do this properly!" She shouted after him. He raised his hand and waved without turning around to face her. "See you tomorrow, Kyoko." He called back.

She was fuming, embarrassed and annoyed. She held her grip on his kunai tighter. She turned around and threw it with her anger.

Thk!

Kyoko blinked in surprise staring at the kunai embedded haphazardly in the tree. Kyoko huffed and stomped over to the tree, yanking the kunai out and went back to her spot.

Stupid, dumb, frustrating Uchiha!

Thk!

His high and mighty attitude.

Thk!

Stupid Uchiha and their stupidly pretty eyelashes.

Thk!

"At least I threw it in the right direction. Whatever!"

Thk!

"Stupid Itachi!"

Boyish laughter echoed at the edge of the trees. Kyoko whirled around and saw Itachi leaning against a tree with one arm and the other clutched at his stomach. The mortification settled nicely in her chest.

"I thought you went home!" She cried out in disbelief with a finger pointing in his direction. She marched up to the boy incapacitated by his own laughter.

"Stop laughing at me! Stupid Itachi!" Her shouting did nothing to stop his peels of laughter as he struggled to hold himself up.

Her eye twitched in annoyance. She launched at him and tackled him to the ground. His instincts kicked in as he rolled with the momentum and flipped her on her back, jumping away as soon as he could.

Kyoko frowned up at the trees, then got up.

Itachi seemed surprised by himself. His eyes shifted from his hands to her and smirked. It sent her blood boiling again. Her embarrassment was still fresh.

She launched at him again as he danced out of her reach. Landing harshly on the grass, she pushed herself up and turned to him. Her face set in plain annoyance. He watched her with a hand on his hip. He bought the other up and curled his fingers inwards twice.

Come and get me, he was saying. His smile morphed into a smirk. If you can.

Kyoko had a sudden desire to hit him. Hard. She launched at him again, this time not landing on her face as she flew past him. She quickly whirled around and struck out at him. He dodged her, she could feel his hairbrush against her fist as it sailed by his head. She struck again and again. Each time he maneuvered out of reach. He suddenly dipped down and swept his leg out. His shin caught at the back of her calf and swept her legs out from under her. She landed harshly on her back.

Kyoko groaned and looked up as Itachi stood up, watching her. Her anger no longer boiled but it was still hot.

Okay, she really wanted to hit him now.

But that wasn't her primary objective. Her new objective was to get this guy on his ass at least once. No matter how many times she landed on hers.

So she stood again and settled into the basic stance he had shown her earlier that day. They watched each other, Kyoko took the first move. She stepped out and threw her fist out towards him. He blocked it and replied with a punch of his own. Kyoko just barely managed to move out of the way. She looked up at him from her lower position. His arm extended over her as a punch and his torso now guarded by his other arm. Kyoko swept her leg out to the exposed side. Itachi jumped back, avoiding the kick. Kyoko chased after him and they danced in a flurry of punches and kicks. He had landed one solid kick to her side but she shook it off. She kept advancing on him, pushing him back as much as she could.

She was gradually getting the hang of dodging.

His fist came flying towards her, with little time to react she quickly judged she couldn't dodge this one. She bought her arms up to block. And stumbled back slightly. She immediately shook off the pain and regained the ground she lost, she couldn't afford to let Itachi take one step forward. Her leg swung up to a high kick losing her balance, she could already tell she was going to fall from the sheer momentum she put into the kick. Itachi stepped back to avoid the kick and his back collided against the tree.

She landed harshly on her side but never took her eyes off of her opponent.

He turned in surprise to look at the tree.

Now!

She pushed herself up into a low crouch and mimicked Itachi's sweeping kick. Her shin caught on the back of his calf, ignoring the pain of contact, she pushed with every ounce of the strength she had left. Itachi yelped in surprise as he landed on his side. His wide inky eyes flicked over to her in surprise. She sat clutching her shin and stared at him with equal surprise.

"Yeah!" She shouted and threw her hands up in triumph.

Itachi had won the fight, there was no way she could continue, she was way too tired and her leg hurt too much but she was still celebrating. She had accomplished what she wanted, she might have been on the ground but so was he. She threw herself back on the ground and laid there. Itachi sat and leaned against his surprise tree.

"That was fun." She said and a string of giggles followed after.

"Your weird."

"Shut up!"

**(**_**Ξ**_**'Д')/((0)) RASENGAN!**

There we have it! The first chapter, first draft (after many corrections) and the beginning to what looks to be a loooooong story.

I make no promises on updates considering I just broke my laptop so until then I am stuck with my phone. I will try to update every month though.

/ First edit 20/02/2020/


	2. Chapter 2

**Replies to Reviews**

**sjlovesstories** \- Thank you! The support is truly appreciated.

**Muse-Dono** \- I'm glad you took the time to read and share your opinions with me, thank you! As for the matters that have disappointed you, number one was something I thought long and hard about it when I first started planning and, in the end,, I decided to have the clan follow a more traditional viewpoint. As you say, the Nara are level-headed and intelligent but they have their flaws too, I am trying to explore its more while digging out of the hole of 'Lazy Naras'. Some things will change later though. ;)  
For the second, the naming of the Ino-Shika-Cho is generational, not firstborn. Something you might not know is that it is theorised that Ino was the first female in the Ino-Shika-Cho in sixteen generations, which is probably why Inoichi got a lot of trouble/teasing from Shikaku and Choza. Naturally, this is trouble Shikaku would avoid. Although to be perfectly honest, Kyoko was just a placement name, I was planning to change it but I forgot.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

Shisui dragged his pulsing feet through the An Gates of his village. The hard stone path was a welcomed change, as opposed to running through the trees. Using small bots of charka to help him jump from tree to tree was leaving a toll on his hardened blisters. After a solid week of running through the dunes of the Land of wind, the trees were a blissful welcome. Providing a solid surface and shade but he quickly longed for home once again.

The journey home was always so long, the hours would drag on and on but finally, he was home. His squad greeted the gate guards as they passed through. Konoha had changed quickly in the week he was away.

The red and orange leaves that decorated the thousands of trees had fallen off, most were swept away by the wind or the stuck among the lower foliage. Shisui took a deep breath in, feeling the crispness of the air deep in his lungs. The air had cooled more than he expected it would've and he welcomed it graciously after spending the last week in Suna territory.

It was late morning, so his stomach said, a time for him to start thinking about getting a proper meal. Field rations and food pills could only keep the body going for so long, he needed real nutrients. Perhaps he would stop by his usual spot. The curry store his father had loved had now become one of his most treasured places in Konoha. That small curry store held many fond memories. Reminders of easier, better times.

With his mind set, he continued walking along the main path through the village with an objective in mind.

Food.

His stomach rumbled at the mere thought. What should he order this time? Maybe some Yakitori or perhaps Udon? Hmm. He wanted something with sauce and lots of flavours. And chicken. And real vegetables. A grin pulled at the corners of his mouth as he decided. Katsu curry. Ahh, he could already taste it. Hot, rich and smooth phantom flavours tugged at his cravings.

"I'll leave the report to you Shisui."

Eh?

Shisui whirled around to his squad leader, "What? Aw, come on! Shouldn't the captain be the one to give the report?" His captain shrugged and turned down one of the branching paths, giving a casual wave behind him as the rest of their team scattered.

Shisui frowned and threw his hands behind his head, lacing his fingers together in his curly black hair. Well, the sooner I give this report, the sooner I'll get my curry, he thought.

As he passed through the village, he soaked it up. The roads were busy with merchants and residents of the village. Storefronts were open, colourful advertisements caught his passing eye. Civilians, families, kids, pets and shinobi. He passed all manner of people on his way to the Hokage tower. Despite the cold day, Konoha never failed to warm his heart. The serenity in the village, the smiles people had. This is what so many had died to protect. What his father had died to protect. It was what _he_ was willing to die to protect.

A gaggle of loud kids ran past him, playing a game he could only guess to be 'Ninja'. They were young, bright-eyed, hearts and hands yet untainted.

He reached the Hokage building sooner than he thought. The large red building stood in the centre of the village. Its placement allowed for foreign diplomats to access the Hokage without gaining much of an idea as to the village status. That was in the days before the war, there hadn't been many diplomats in the village for some time. Only representatives of the smaller villages seeking the aid and protection of the mightiest village in the nations.

Shisui looked around, there was one guard at the door, perhaps the second most boring job a ninja could get. The most boring would be gate duty, where you're posted to guard one of the gate entrances to the village. Shisui nodded to the guard who nodded back and walked inside the building. He'd made this trek what seemed like a hundred times now, though he knew this was exaggerating the actual number. Down the hall, past the mission's desk, up the staircase to the second level. He opened the door to the administration office and walked over to the Jounin on duty.

"I'm here to file my mission report."

"Ah, Uchiha-san." The Jounin, Shisui knew him by the name of Takemura, rustled through some papers and handed one over to him. Shisui took the paper and thanked him.

Doing mission reports were an absolute bore, necessary but ridiculously boring. He didn't need to read any of the guiding titles. Team name, date, mission number, mission status, summary, bla bla bla. His mission was an average reconnaissance mission on the trade and supply routes of Sunagakure, also known as the hidden Sand Village. A very dull and dry mission.

Shisui handed the now completed form to Takemura and left the Hokage building happily. Once again, he walked along the lively streets of the village. Taking turn after turn and navigating his way on solely his secondary memory. He liked walking through the village often, because of this he was confident to let his feet carry him while he let his eyes wander and his mind drift about.

Normally he wouldn't let himself get lost in his mind so often, but he was exhausted. Shisui lacked the energy to remain fully alert. There was no reason to anyway, the chances of him being attacked were slim to non-existent. No foreign ninja would get past the village gates so there wasn't going to be any enemy ninja aiming for his throat today. Shisui could think of one or two leaf ninjas that didn't particularly like him but every shinobi in the village was being worked to the bone. No one had the time or energy to waste on stupid things like a brawl in the middle of the village.

This was the one place, the one time he could justify letting his guard down.

He was home.

And yet, he didn't.

His shoulders were still tense, his body ready reflexively and his kunai was weighted against his thigh as a reminder of its presence. Shisui hadn't been able to relax for over a year now, not since he had lost his best friend in that forsaken mission, his fault. Not since he had awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. His fault, his fault, this power was a curse, this power was proof. Proof that he was responsible. Responsible and guilty for the death of his comrade, his friend.

The evolved state of the power of the Uchiha placed an ever-present burden on him. He had only used it once, his ability to cast what was practically a mind control over someone terrified him. He had barely hit his teens, this wasn't a power he should play with let alone even have in the first place.

Shisui pulled the door open, "Welcome!" He banished all other thoughts from his mind and breathed in deeply. His stomach gave out a loud sound at the aroma that filled him.

He was so ready for this.

He sat on the stool at the front of the shop, not wanting to sit at a table by himself.

"What will it be today?" The older lady who ran the shop looked like the type of lady that would work in the library or information department. The type who would throw the books at you if you were being too loud or annoying.

Her appearance had chilled his usually exuberant mood but after the first few times, he learned she was quite the joking lady. It was hilarious, he found, when she would pop out the most ridiculous joke with a straight face. "I'll take one Katsu curry and your beautiful smile, Mrs Honoka." The forty something-year-old lady shook her head with that straight face of hers, "I would kick you out, brat, but I fear I'll go out of business if I did." Shisui grinned, it was good to be home.

After a beautifully satisfying dish of curry, Shisui headed out of the shop and back into the streets of Konoha.

Now, where to?

Should he go home and get changed?

That was an appealing idea, but he had the feeling that if he went home, he'd probably pass out on his couch or something. His thoughts drifted once again as he set course for the training grounds, he wondered if his two little friends were there today. Itachi would be easy to track down even if he wasn't in the training grounds, he would most likely be training someplace else. Kyoko, on the other hand, could be anywhere. Searching for an able shogi opponent.

He breached the trees and weaved in between them in order to get to the clearing that served as the twelfth training ground.

He paused when he entered the clearing.

His two young friends sat on the ground, a shogi board between them. This wasn't surprising.

What was, however, was that both children were covered head to toe in delicate autumn leaves.

He was suddenly reminded of the academy leaf exercise, an exercise where sticking a leaf to one's forehead with chakra helped the person with control and awareness of chakra. But these two were covered in the dry leaves, almost comically.

He approached them quietly, not wanting to break their concentration. Kyoko reached forward, her arm trembling with the effort to keep the leaves attached to her body. She picked up a pawn and set it down one step in front of its original place. She set her hand back in her lap, resting it somewhat to help still the shaking.

Itachi reached forward, picked up his knight and moved it forward, promoting it in his turn.

Shisui sat down and observed him. Itachi wasn't shaking like Kyoko, his eyebrows were furrowed as he frowned deeply in concentration and a bead of sweat ran down his neck. He had no doubt this was a difficult exercise for the two. Itachi had some experience kneading charka but with his large capacity, he lacked finite control. Kyoko, on the other hand, had smaller natural reserves than Itachi so control came easier to her, she just lacked experience.

Kyoko reached forward again and placed her bishop in line with Itachi's king.

"Checkmate."

At her words, the leaves fell to the ground and Kyoko fell backwards with them, panting in exhaustion. Itachi leaned back, his arms locked in place behind him to keep him from falling as he tried to even out his breathing.

"Well, that was exciting." The two kids whipped their heads around and stared at him in surprise. Shisui gave a small chuckle at them. It seems they had been so concentrated they hadn't even noticed his arrival.

A grin spread across Kyoko's face and a small smile reached Itachi's.

"Shisui! Welcome home." His heart warmed at her words. When was the last time he heard those words?

"Practising chakra control?" He asked.

"It was Kyoko's idea."

"You're the one who wanted to."

"You're the one who suggested it."

"Because you wouldn't play shogi with me! You wanted to train."

"I'm tired of shogi."

Kyoko sighed, "...Me too."

Shisui could feel himself grin, thrilled that they were getting along so well in the time he was gone.

"I'm surprised you're practising chakra control, Kyoko. Have you decided to become a ninja?" He asked.

She shook her head from her position on the ground, "Not yet, Itachi convinced me to. Said it would be a waste not to start early if there was some intent." That sounded about right, though Shisui wouldn't mind if they didn't grow up so fast.

"I see you finally won a game." Kyoko grinned, "23 wins, 58 losses." Shisui did the math, subtracting Kyoko's previous losses, "So Itachi's a good opponent for you." Kyoko hummed in agreement.

"It's made twice as difficult when you have to split your concentration." Itachi added and Kyoko snorted, "Got that right."

"Think you're ready for the tournament? It's in the next few weeks, isn't it?" Shisui asked and Kyoko nodded.

"First day of the new year. As for if I'm ready, I'll know by tomorrow." The group fell silent for a few brief seconds.

"How was your mission, Shisui?" Itachi asked and Kyoko sat up, "Yeah, did you do anything awesome?"

Their childlike curiosity made him chuckle. "Well, I went to the land of wind."

"What's it like?" Kyoko asked.

"Nothing but rock, desert and wind."

"Sounds... bleak."

Shisui's smile remained for the rest of his day.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

"Pa, where are we going?" Kyoko asked her father as the family of three walked out of the building.

"To the Fourth Hokage coronation." Her father was geared up in his usual Jounin attire, with his green flak vest and tan jacket over top. Her mother was wearing one of her nicer kimonos and Kyoko had been dressed up in her favourite cream dress with a warm winter coat over the top.

"The Fourth Hokage? Is something wrong with Lord Third?" Her father shook his head, "Nothing's wrong with Lord Third."

This all confused her. "Then why do we need a new Hokage?" Her father debated silently over her question in his head, his eyebrows furrowed and eyes turned to the clear blue sky.

"The war has just ended. Perhaps he feels that we need a new light to guide us into a new time." He reasoned but her father didn't sound his usual hundred percent sure, she ignored it.

"Light?"

"You'll understand someday."

She believed him. They made their way along the large road that led them directly to the Hokage building. The large red circular building stood three stories high, the tallest building in the village. Her father guided Kyoko and her mother over to the far-left side of the large gathering.

"Ah, Shikaku!" The head of the Akimichi clan waved the family over to him.

"Choza, how's everything?" Her father asked his teammate who laughed heartily and looked over to his wife.

Kyoko turned her attention to the crowd surrounding them. It looked like the entire village had turned up to see the fourth Hokage's coronation. She scanned the crowds, looking for her two Uchiha friends. She spotted them standing amongst what seemed to be much of their clan.

Kyoko turned to her mother, "I'll be right back."

"Five minutes, Kyoko." Her mother told her, Kyoko internally set her timer.

She turned and walked quickly through the crowds of civilians and shinobi alike. She approached Itachi first, he and his family were the closest.

"Itachi." She greeted, the family of three turned their attention to her. Itachi greeted her back, "Kyoko. Need something?"

Kyoko shook her head, "Na, just telling you I won't be at the training grounds." Itachi gave her a questioning look. "I'm going to take on Uncle Inoichi later today."

"Ah, good luck."

"Don't waste good luck, Itachi. There is no luck in shogi, you know that." He grunted and looked up to the top of the Hokage tower.

"Looks like the ceremony is starting soon. You should head back to your parents, Nara-chan." Itachi's mother's voice was light, calming, almost flute-like. Kyoko liked her, she decided, her voice was nice. "You should be heading on up about now too, darling" Itachi's mother said to his father. His father grunted, something Itachi must have learnt from him, and flickered from sight.

Kyoko nodded in agreement and gave the remaining two a polite smile. "You're probably right, Mrs Uchiha. I'll see you later, Itachi!" She called as she ran back to her parents, she still had two and a half minutes left but decided to go back to her parents anyway. Itachi would let Shisui know she wouldn't be turning up.

She walked over to her parents and her father's teammates. She spotted light blonde hair standing next to her father.

Looks like Uncle Inoichi has turned up. She walked over to the man and stared him in the eye. The older man looked a little surprised by her head on stare.

"Ah... Yes, Kyoko-chan?" Now all of the adults were watching her curiously.

"I would like to demand a shogi match after the ceremony." They went quiet, "Please." She added hastily after the quiet went on longer than she'd have liked.

A snort and chuckle came from the brown-haired woman beside the Yamanaka man. Yamanaka Noriko was a stern and dignified looking woman. Inoichi gave his wife an incredulous look, "No problem, Kyoko-chan. I was just talking to your father about picking up some scrolls anyway. I guess I can just come to get them today." Her Uncle Inoichi looked over to her father with a questioning look who just shrugged his shoulders, "Fine by me." He ignored the blonde's silent question.

Kyoko knew they were confused by her sudden demand but didn't really feel the need to explain herself, so everyone brushed it aside.

"Doesn't the Jounin commander have to be up on top of the important building?" Inoichi teased Shikaku. Her father glared at his teammate then sighed, disappearing in a similar fashion that Mr Uchiha had.

"The inauguration of the Fourth Hokage will now begin." The third Hokage announced to the village, his voice booming over the masses of people.

"For years I have watched over this village. I have witnessed it grow and thrive in spite of the recent war. But now the war is over. Now is a time for the village to take a new step on the path to peace, guided by a new Hokage. It is my greatest pleasure to introduce to you, Namikaze Minato as the Fourth Hokage."

The new Hokage stepped up to the edge of the building and took off the white and red wide-brimmed hat. The crowd exploded into cheers and applause for the blonde-haired man.

She had heard of this man. He was now famous in the village, her father mentioned him often. Namikaze Minato was the man responsible for defeating a thousand enemy ninja with nothing but kunai and his amazing Jutsu. He was the man responsible for the end of the Third Great Shinobi War. Sensei to the child prodigy, Kakashi Hatake, who became a Jounin when he was thirteen, Kyoko was one at the time.

Kyoko looked up at the blonde man on the roof in admiration. He was strong enough to wipe out battalions of enemy by himself, genius enough to create a Jutsu so ridiculously advanced that it let him teleport. If Kyoko became a ninja, she wanted to be just like this man, just like the fourth Hokage.

Hokage.

What… was a Hokage?

Someone strong? Protector of the village? Was he the blade or the hand? Why?

Kyoko was left confused by all of her questions that plagued her mind. "Pa, why does the village need a Hokage?" She asked as her mother and father led her along the pathway back towards their home.

"The village needs a leader." Her father responded.

"But why? What is a leader? What's the point of the Hokage?" Her father pondered her question, "A leader is someone who can take people places where they themselves cannot go. They create motion and bring about change."

"So, a bad leader brings bad change?" Her father nodded, "Or no change at all."

"What are the Hokage trying to change?"

He hesitated, "War."

War? How did one change war? Could it even be changed?

"How?" She asked.

"By creating peace." His words echoed in her head. By creating peace, would war change? "Can war... not be erased?"

"Humans create war." Humans he said. Not shinobi? She remembered looking up to the Hokage tower, the officials, the elders of the village and the Land of Fire's Daimyo all stood up there looking down on them. Only half of the old people standing up there were shinobi.

"Pa?" He hummed in response, "Why do people fight? What's the point of being a ninja if war never ends?"

"To protect."

There was that idea again. Did our existence revolve around protecting what was dear to us? If everyone was simply protecting, then there wouldn't be any conflict to begin with.

"Greed." She said out loud. That was the reason.

Greed, desire, selfishness, desperation, love.

"Yes. The Ninja conduct exists as a guide for shinobi to kill their emotions. This is folly. Ninja are only human at the end of the day." So it was impossible, people fight and there was no stopping that.

"What can people do after a fight to prevent war? What are we doing wrong?"

Her father sighed, "That's the question, isn't it, Kyoko? People have their own ideas. Some wish to bury the past and move on, some linger on it and seek vengeance."

Conflicting ideas.

What was the right path to take?

What was the right thing to pair with protection?

She mulled over it for the rest of the walk home. Her mother and father also stayed quiet the entire walk.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

His wife was worried. Shikaku could see it as plain as day, her brows knitted together but not drawn down into her typical frown. Her lips pulled in a straight line as she gazed at their daughter.

No doubt these last few months had been a surprise for them both, but it was doubly more so for her. Their sweet, seemingly bubbly four-year-old daughter had changed so suddenly.

While it was something Shikaku relished, his wife was left concerned and hesitant. They both feared the same thing. The Nara were known to be tactical geniuses but that was as far as it went. Their daughter was asking questions in a manner he had not until he was in his late teens. They feared their daughter was... He didn't even want to think it.

"I don't like this Shikaku." He knew that.

They stood in the kitchen, away from the dining table that so they could talk privately but still watch over their daughter as she played shogi with his teammate. "There isn't much we can do about this Yoshino."

"Of course there is!" She hissed quietly.

"We can hold her back! Limit her resources until she's older! There's a lot we can do." Her words were ice.

"I don't want to see my baby girl be used by the village like that Hatake boy!" He watched her and when her steel black eyes met his he held her gaze quietly until she calmed.

His wife sighed, her gaze turned to the floor, "I just don't know what happened to my little girl."

Shikaku couldn't help the smile that tugged up, "She's right there. That girl sitting at our table has always been our daughter." Yoshino's gaze slid to the side, watching as their daughter analysed the shogi board between her and his Yamanaka friend.

"She wasn't like this before..." She paused.

"Wasn't she?"

Yoshino looked back to him with her deep-set frown. "Of course she wasn't! She used to be more..."

"That wasn't the real Kyoko. If anything, her little act proves she was far more aware of the world before we even knew it." Yoshino averted her sharp gaze. "I personally like this Kyoko far more."

Now his wife's anger was directed at him, "Of course you would." If he were any other man, he would have flinched at her tone, "I just feel like I've lost my baby girl." Shock filled him as he watched her eyes glisten. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen his wife cry, she was a strong woman and he admired her for it.

"She hasn't left us yet. She's still sitting at our table every night and wakes up in our house every morning. And I'm sure, if you asked her to do anything for you, she would do it in a heartbeat. I know for a fact that our daughter loves her mother more than you could possibly imagine." He wiped her tears away with the back of his finger.

"Checkmate."

Shikaku looked over to the table where his blonde-haired friend stared at the shogi board in shock. His daughter sat smugly on the other side with her arms crossed and relaxed in the back of her chair.

"Besides, I don't think we can hold her back even if we tried." Yoshino sniffed and chuckled beside him, "Your probably right."

Shikaku rested his hand at the bottom of her back and led her over to the table.

"Inoichi, how does defeat by a four-year-old feel?" he really couldn't stop the smirk from taunting his friend.

The Yamanaka man blinked at the board then shifted his gaze to the girl in the opposite seat before meeting his mocking gaze. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Shikaku walked over behind his daughter and ruffled her straight black hair. "Nice work, kiddo." His daughter beamed up at him, her pride was written all over her face. It felt as if a weight had been taken off his mind, if she could beat Inoichi then there was a good chance she could give anyone in the tournament a run for their money. There was a chance and that was all he asked for.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

The first day of the year began with a quiet sunrise and a panicked wife.

Yoshino flurried about the kitchen preparing breakfast for her husband, daughter and herself.

She had been trained as a ninja of the leaf village, long before she became the wife of Nara Shikaku and yet, despite her prior training, she couldn't still the shaking of her hands.

The day she had dreaded for far too long had come.

The day where her daughter could potentially be promised away like some grand prize in a competition. That was what it was, a tournament with her daughter as the shining trophy.

"Morning Ma." Her daughter yawned as she pulled herself up on her chair and slouched across the wood of the table. You wouldn't think she was worried at all, her daughter was far too relaxed.

"Morning honey." Yoshino set a bowl of rice and miso soup on the table in front of her daughter's position.

"Where's your father? Is he still not up yet?" Kyoko shook her head and pulled her food over to her. Slowly shovelling the warm rice into her mouth.

Yoshino huffed and took a deep breath. "SHIKAKU! Get your lazy ass out of bed! NOW!" Honestly, they didn't have time to sleep in this morning. She knew her husband was tired and overworked but this was something they could not be late for or brush off.

He plodded down a few minutes later, dressed in a casual dark kimono with his hair tied up in its usual spiky ponytail.

After everyone had eaten, Yoshino dragged her daughter into her room, had her dressed into a gorgeous little kimono and pulled her hair up into style with a pretty hair ornament.

Yoshino felt tears come to her eyes but pushed them back.

"You look so beautiful." Yoshino said kneeling down to her daughter's height.

"I really wish that we didn't have to do this."

Her daughter shook her head and smiled, "Don't worry, Ma. I'll win."

Yoshino heart swelled with pride at Kyoko's confidence. Grabbing her daughter's hand, Yoshino led Kyoko out into the main room where Shikaku was waiting. He too was dresses in a formal kimono, looking as ruggedly handsome as ever.

Yoshino steeped her resolve and buried all her jittery feelings as they stepped out from their house. The trek through the snowy forest was quiet and had a tense undertone to the atmosphere. Eventually, far too quickly, they arrived at the base entrance of the shrine.

Others from their clan had already arrived and had set up the shrine for the tournament. The Nara shrine was small so only the participants and their guardians could stay for the tournament.

Kyoko's eyes darted around in curiosity. Of course she was curious, her daughter had never been this deep into the Nara forest before. Yoshino looked up to the shrine. Hundreds of stairs led them to the main entrance of the shrine. This was the starting point, Yoshino knew it, she'd known for some time. No matter what happened here her daughter would begin down a new path, far sooner than Yoshino liked.

One step at a time, she told herself as the family began the climb.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

It was boring. Dreadfully so. She sat there in her place next to her mother. Her father was beside her mother and beside him were the stuffy and haughty elders of the clan.

Kyoko didn't understand why they got to boss her father around so much.

So they were old, so what?

They were experienced?

Their knowledge was outdated.

They annoyed her. Her father was the clan's leader, he should be able to tell them no. Kyoko couldn't understand why he couldn't. It bugged her.

There was nothing remarkable about the three old men, age had clearly worn them down. And for being so old, Kyoko couldn't feel or see any wisdom coming from them. Just battle hardened, closed minded fools. Or maybe it was just her ill feelings and current situation that made her so agitated by these old guys.

Sitting here for three hours already, Kyoko couldn't help but arrogantly feel like it would have been quicker if she just versed them all herself.

At least they were on to the final match now.

Kyoko hadn't been paying attention since the second round. The two that were currently the last remaining contestants in the tournament were both around Shisui's age, maybe a bit younger.

She had watched them play briefly in each round like she had done with all of the other contestants. Most were disappointing, like they had picked up the book instead of the game.

Each contestant played to strategies she had seen while flipping through the rule book.

Only these final two had shown any flare in the game but even then, it was only adjustments when their strategies were flung about.

Kyoko had no doubt that they, like her, had only taken up shogi for this tournament.

Most even looked like they'd rather be elsewhere.

Kyoko fiddled with the fabric of her kimono. She had never worn one before. It felt nice. It was smooth and pretty, even if it was a little difficult to move in. Not like she had been moving much anyway.

"Checkmate."

Her attention was caught by the single word. The game was finally over.

"I invoke my right to challenge the champion."

Her parents had been expecting it, the rest of the clan however? They weren't. The silence hung about as Kyoko stood from her seated position and quietly walked over to the board. Kyoko stood before the winner, she hadn't bothered remembering any of the contestants names. Her standing height almost parallel with his seated height, she lowered herself into the proper seiza, her movements graceful and posture perfect.

As she sat down the chattering whispers broke out among the crowd of contestants and guardians.

Kyoko and her opponent didn't speak a word between them as they rearranged the pieces in the starting order. He gathered up the remaining pawns and tossed them. Black and red faces of the pawns greeted them.

First move was his.

With a sharp click the game began.

Kyoko couldn't help the vicious smirk that graced her lips.

One hand reached out. The other held back the sleeve of her kimono. The cool wood greeted her fingertips as she picked up her piece.

_Click, click, click. _The game went on and on, each move carefully calculated and placed. An opening given, trap set, pieces taken and replaced. The vicious and victorious grin never left Kyoko face. The game had been over from the first move.

"Checkmate."

She could see the shock evident on the boy's face, she had blind sided him. She had distracted him with Uncle Inoichi traps and false moves then moved in with all the brutal force of a Hyuuga. It wasn't the look on the boy's face that she relished the most. The shock, confusion and plain annoyance on those old fools faces was the sweetest thing she had ever experienced.

Kyoko tried to stop herself, she really did. Yet, she tuned to the old men and flashed a taunting smirk.

She watched with glee as they bristled in anger.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

Kyoko sat at the table in her home. Dinner was laid out in hot assortments across the table. Her bowl of rice was cradled in her hand, the other held her chopsticks. Her father was seated beside her sipping quietly at a bowl of miso soup.

For some reason, dinner was quiet.

Strangely quiet.

Her Father glanced at her from the corner of his eye. His gaze held a secretive question. Kyoko subtly shrugged her shoulders in reply. They both glanced to the older woman at the table. Her mother had been unable to remain still. It was a behaviour Kyoko had never seen from her mother.

It was weird, really weird.

Kyoko had no idea what do, so she settled for doing nothing. Picking at her dinner one grain of rice at a time. Using chopsticks was easy for her now. A few months ago, she had a lot more trouble with the finicky utensils but her practice with kunai and shuriken with the Uchiha boys had helped with her finger's mobility and hand to eye co-ordination. That was also something she was gradually improving on. Her aim wasn't the greatest, but she could at least hit a target in front of her now. Something else she and the Uchiha boys had started practicing more rigorously was Taijutsu.

That, Kyoko loved.

The thrill of the fight, Shisui had said.

And it was a thrill.

Her heart pounded with adrenalin and excitement, the brief moment before the spar would begin her body would quiver with excitement. A fire would start in her blood and course throughout her body. And with that fire came a strange feeling. The strangeness wasn't the feeling itself, but her feelings about the feeling.

It was Joy.

She felt Joy from fighting. Kyoko was pretty sure she wasn't meant to feel anything close to Happiness from a fight. But every time she faced off against Shisui or Itachi in a spar she would catch herself grinning.

It was concerning.

It was addictive.

It was shameful.

It was freeing.

The shuffling movement across from her snapped her out of her thoughts. She dragged her eyes from her cooling bowl of rice to her mother. A heavy sigh came from her father beside her. "Yoshino-" He started but was quickly interrupted.

"I'm pregnant."

Her father stared at her mother with a look of pure shock, it was a look she had never seen on his face before and for good reason.

He looked ridiculous.

His naturally narrow eyes had widened further than she'd thought possible. His eyebrows were furrowed and crooked and his jaw went slack leaving his mouth full of rice open for everyone to see. Kyoko cringed at her father and turned to her mother who sat quietly then heaved a great sigh, straightening up and shaking off whatever was bothering her. Kyoko had no idea what was happening to her parents.

"What's pregnant?" Kyoko asked her mother seeing how her father was currently out of sorts.

Her mother smiled softly to her. A warm smile that gave her an odd tingly feeling. She didn't have a name for it.

"It means you're going to have a little sibling."

A sibling? Like a brother or sister?

So many other questions piled up, but she was overcome with an impatience she had never felt before.

"When?" Kyoko asked eagerly, sitting up a little taller and leaning forward onto the table.

Her mother set her chopsticks down across the top of her bowl and hummed in thought. "Next autumn."

"What? But that's so long."

"I know honey, but that's how things are."

Kyoko slumped in her seat and pouted. Blast, just have to wait then, she thought to herself.

Meanwhile, her father had managed to pull himself out of his shocked stupor. He swallowed his mouthful and cleared his throat. "Ahhh…" He started, "What?"

"Shikaku dear, do try to keep up."

"Where do siblings come from?" Kyoko asked and for some strange reason, her father turned white.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

Shisui watched the two four-year olds exchange blows and blocks. He couldn't count how many times he'd arrived at the training to find them engaged in a spar.

It was strange, even in this village full of combat masters, to find a small child so engaged in the song of battle. Even a spar was still a fight. So, to see two small children fighting against each other, stopping to give the other critique, drilling movements over and over again. It made him think of the world they lived in.

The third great war was over, but its scars remained vivid in their society.

Itachi was a prime example.

A four-year-old boy traumatised and convinced that the only way to end war was to become the strongest. Convinced that only strength was heard. The saddest part about it, Shisui thought, was that Itachi wasn't entirely wrong. Power gained recognition and with recognition came influence. Shisui was pretty sure that's what Itachi was aiming for.

Kyoko, on the other hand, was just the weird of the weird.

The simplest form of weird.

An unfortunately common form of weird.

She loved to fight.

Shisui could see it. Itachi could see it. Kyoko knew it.

Shisui wondered briefly how the four-year olds overactive mind was processing it. By society's view, in Konoha, this type of eagerness for battle, for conflict, for victory, was commonly related to the tainted ways of the Blood Mist Village.

The Land of Waters Hidden ninja village, The Village Hidden in the Mist, was renowned for producing shinobi more monster than human. Horror stories emerged in the war when the Mist ninja showed a certain glee in bloodshed and gore.

Not human, not even Shinobi, but monsters.

Kyoko, while young, seemed to understand that her excitement, for lack of better word, was something to be debated, analysed and controlled. So far, she was doing just fine. Shisui only worried what would come of her… passion if she chose to become a ninja. The influence and encouragement of battle.

The exposure to death.

It does things to people.

Some shut away, some change and some thrived.

Shisui cast away his thoughts as he watched Kyoko fall to the ground. Itachi stood in stance, panting from the workout of their little fight. Understandable, since their bodies were still young and tired easily. Shisui chuckled at the sour look on Kyoko's face as she glared up at Itachi. No doubt annoyed by her loss.

"You cheated."

Itachi gave her a blank look and held out his hand to pull her up. Kyoko sulked for a few extra seconds then took the offered hand, allowing Itachi to pull her up.

"You're both doing really good with your Taijutsu." Shisui said. "But you both also suck."

He couldn't hold the straight face for long before he burst into laughter at the frowns on their faces. He watched from the corner of his eye as Itachi seemed to resign to the comment, but he wasn't watching out for Itachi. The dark smirk that creeped onto Kyoko's face was all the warning Shisui needed.

In a fraction of a second, he gathered his chakra and pushed it throughout his body.

He moved.

To the untrained eye, Shisui vanished only to reappear a small distance away. Shisui stood arrogantly, hands on his hips, smirking at Kyoko who now stood in the same spot Shisui was just in. Eager to begin their little game of tag, Shisui taunted her.

"Now, now, Kyoko-chan, we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. Well, not like you could anyway. So slow. I'm afraid you'll never catch the Great and Mighty Shisui of the Body Flicker." He added a haughty laugh for show just to really ruffle her feathers.

It worked like a charm as she wasted no time and launched at him with greater speed and intent than she originally had. Still, Shisui had no problems dodging about the area. Never straying more than five meters, ticking the young girl off even more. Itachi stood back from their game and shook his head at them, like the boy was disappointed.

Heh, strange kids.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

Kyoko sat with her back against a tree in the same training grounds she had first met Shisui and Itachi. She had been sitting here for three hours already, moving pieces around the ever-present Shogi board. She practically slept with the damn thing now. After having spent the last eight months playing shogi all day every day, she was really beginning to get sick of it. Yet, she continued playing, it gave her a sense of pride.

Kyoko leaned against the strong wood of the large tree and watched as the leaves sway in the gentle breeze. There was a warmth in the air, she could feel it every time a breeze rolled over her skin, cooling her slightly despite the sun's warmth. The seasons were passing quicker than they ever had before. It was now summer, Itachi had his fifth birthday last month, the three of them spent that day the same as any other. Itachi wasn't one for the excitement of birthdays and presents anyway.

She took a large breath. Not quite a yawn or the sigh that the Uchiha boys had pointed out. She hadn't realised she'd developed the habit of sighing so much but now she was aware of it and it bothered her slightly.

Itachi was late and Shisui was off on another mission.

Granted, they never really specified a time. They just generally showed up mid-morning. It was now lunchtime.

Kyoko let her mind trail, wondering what kept the boy. Perhaps he had to help his mother or maybe he got sick. Maybe he wouldn't show up at all.

They had been training every day for months now. There was no way to find out whether the boy was coming or not.

She just had to be patient, that she could be. Most Nara could. It came with the 'Lazy' title. Sitting for hours on end staring at random things while lost in thought was a commonality in her clan. Sleeping too. She had asked her mother once, not too long ago, why people always thought her family was a bunch of lazy geniuses.

Her mother had told her, "It's not laziness but more of a lack of motivation. It isn't genius but a wider understanding."

At the time, this threw her through a loop trying to figure out what her mother meant. Though she was beginning to understand it now. Whenever she questioned her motives, she could understand a little more of the Nara laziness. Up until the option of her future was taken away from her, she was content to be the subpar heiress of the Nara clan. Now she wanted her choice, her freedom, back.

She still didn't know what she wanted in her future yet or if she even wanted to be a shinobi, but she wanted the option to be there.

Another question that rolled around her head was the old man question Itachi asked her the last week.

"What do you think the meaning of life is?" He'd asked both her and Shisui.

She had never questioned why she was alive.

Why she took every breath she did.

Was it simply because her body craved to be alive? If so, then why did she seek improvement?

No.

This wasn't physical. Her body wasn't the reason, just a side factor. She wanted to be alive, this want was stemmed from a subconscious mental understanding of life. Even though she didn't really understand it at all. So, if meaning came from want or in other words a desire then was the meaning of life different for each person.

That made sense.

Some wanted to protect that which they loved, some wanted to learn more of what they enjoyed and some simply wanted to experience life. All in all, the individual meaning of life was a selfish concept. By thinking 'I want to live because I want to bla bla bla', even if it was to protect someone, then that desire is born from discrimination, valuing the life of a loved one over.

But what was her meaning? Why was she alive?

Kyoko's eyes stared unfocused yet trained on the tree's vivid green leaves. She didn't have an answer.

Was that wrong? Was she meant to have an answer?

Kyoko sighed, there was no point getting depressed over that. Perhaps a meaning was something a person would search for. She was four, she had time to explore these questions. Kyoko had hope that with more experience in life she'd come to find her answer.

So she closed her eyes and listened. She listened to the sway of the trees, the bird's song, the flow of the Naka River, gentle footsteps approaching.

Opening her dark eyes, she saw Itachi approaching with an expression she'd never seen on the boy before. He looked calm, gone was the undertone of uncertainty in his face and he held himself stronger. Something had happened between yesterday and this morning. She watched as he stopped on the other side of the board and took a seat in the lush grass.

He gave her a small smile, something that startled her, and bowed slightly. "I apologise for keeping you waiting for so long."

He apologised. His dark hair fell forward and into his face slightly. He pushed it out of the way as he straightened to sit with perfect posture, something she was currently lacking. Kyoko wondered what had happened to change the boy's attitude so sharply.

"It's fine. Must have been something good." Kyoko said.

The smile on Itachi's face grew slightly and he nodded. "My baby brother was born early this morning." He told her, his tone was light.

She was suddenly reminded of her own baby sibling, not yet born. Would she change the same way when it was born? Would the world suddenly become flowers and rainbows? She both hoped it would and wouldn't. Having such conflicting opinions, she decided to leave that thought trail unexplored.

"So, boy or girl?" Kyoko questioned.

"Boy, his name is Sasuke."

"What are babies like?"

"Squishy, loud, small." Itachi shrugged.

Kyoko's imagination couldn't piece an image together.

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

Autumn came around shockingly fast. The air grew dryer and cooler. The leaves were dyed amber and red like someone had gone and painted every leaf and tree. Autumn was Kyoko's favourite season, for many reasons. It wasn't too hot or cold, it rained more often and there wasn't any bursts of pollen to make her sneeze over and over. And her baby sibling was almost here.

She was excited, far more eager for the arrival of her sibling than she had been for anything else in her life. Itachi wasn't helping either. He wouldn't shut up about Sasuke. His little brother was so cute, so cleaver, would be a great ninja and on and on. Stupid Uchiha.

Kyoko spent most of her days with her mother now, only ever leaving to meet up with the Uchiha boys once or twice a week. Her mothers' stomach had grown huge in the last few months and Kyoko always made sure she was right there.

To be honest, Kyoko had the feeling her mother was getting sick of her tailing. But any time she left for too long, Kyoko would begin to feel uneasy, her mother was due any day now and the nerves Kyoko felt made her twitchy. Eventually, though, her mother kicked her out of the house. So, there she sat in the twelfth training grounds, alone, bored and restless.

She had already killed three hours training with a kunai she nicked from Shisui and practicing her Taijutsu.

Maybe she should head home, assuming she wasn't still locked out.

What else could she do? Wander through the village? Visit someone?

She hadn't seen Hizashi and his son in some time. Decided upon her next activity for the day, Kyoko got up to her feet and began the short walk through the village to the Hyuuga compound. The courtyard was empty this time but there was, what Kyoko assumed to be, a parent and child bustling around gardens. Not the people she was looking for, Kyoko moved on and left them to their activities.

Kyoko approached the home of the brother to the Hyuuga clan's leader. Kyoko raised her hand and knocked at the main door of the household. Despite being the brother of the clan's leader, Hizashi and his one-year old son Neji lived in the branch district of the clans housing. To Kyoko, this was strange. The Hyuuga clan were strict, far stricter than the Nara clan or any other clan she knew of and far more traditional than any other family in the village. They were one of the founding clans of the village, so she supposed that wasn't so strange.

The door opened slightly, and Kyoko was greeted with the neutral face of Hizashi Hyuga. He regarded her for a few seconds before pulling the door open and gesturing for the young girl to come in. He walked with silent footsteps, something Kyoko attempted to replicate, attempt being the keyword.

Hizashi walked over to the small area where there was a fridge, sink, bench and an oven. It was a very plain kitchen. As Hizashi pulled out the tea pot from inside the cupboard, Kyoko sat down at the small table. She sat with a formal posture, legs tucked beneath her, in perfect seiza style. They were quiet as Hizashi made the tea for them and bought it to the table. Hizashi took a long drink from his cup, despite the burning heat of the drink, he exhaled heavily. Seated on the other side of the table from her, Kyoko could see the dark bags under his eyes.

"How have you been, Hizashi-san? I hope Neji hasn't been keeping you up too much." The Hyuga man's eyes flickered up to meet her from his cup. He set the cup aside on the table.

"Neji has finally settled into a sleeping routine, so no, he hasn't been to much trouble recently." So that wasn't the reason for his exhausted appearance.

"What's the reason for your visit today, Nara-san." Kyoko really hated that title but the Hyuga were all about upholding tradition and seeing that Kyoko was the current Heiress to the Nara clan, she technically outranked him despite from being from a different clan. It was more of a diplomatic relationship, as her father had told her when she asked why the older man refused to be informal with her.

The reason why she was allowed into the Hyuga clan compound so frequently and so casually was because Hizashi's older twin brother Hiashi was looking to strength the ties between the Hyuga and the Nara clans, now that her father was the leading Jounin of their village. It was all about making and strengthening connections, apparently. Kyoko didn't enjoy politics.

Usually when Kyoko came to visit, she would be carrying around her old shogi board, asking the older Hyuga for a match. This time though she was without her board, since her mother kicked her out so suddenly.

"I have a question and I'm hoping you can help me find the answer for it, Hyuga-san."

Hizashi regarded her for a moment, "Very well."

"What is a clan?"

Hizashi raised a brow at her in question, "What does it mean to be apart of a clan? Why are there so many rules and responsibilities? I understand that people in a clan are related but," Kyoko paused, "Recently, that's all it feels like it is. Like it's just a bunch of people who happen to share the same blood."

"It all depends on which clan you are referring to."

"Is there really a difference?"

"The difference is slight."

It was quiet as they sipped from their cups. "A clan is a small community within a society. Usually, especially in Konoha, members of a clan are related either by descent or marriage. Each clan has a different culture."

Kyoko frowned, "Culture?" She questioned.

"Take the Inuzuka clan for example, they are a close and supportive clan. Like a pack of dogs, they see as one, eat as one, fight as one. Their ninken are seen as apart of their clan, despite being dogs."

"I see."

"You are conflicted of your clan?"

"Yes." She said before she could stop herself, "But it's not just my clan. The Hyuga and the Uchiha too."

"You are far too observant for your age." He commented. With his serious tone, Kyoko could never figure out whether he was complimenting her or not.

"That'll get you killed some day." Until he followed up with some pessimistic comment. "I cannot speak for the Uchiha, but they are a fairly close clan, nothing like the Inuzuka or the Uzumaki but they have a certain care for each other, especially when one is recognised for their strength." Hizashi stood and refilled the tea pot. "The Hyuga, however, are far more," he hesitated, "separated than the other clans in Konoha."

"How so?"

"In the Hyuga, there are the Main and branch families. The branch family lives to serve and protect the Main family. Things in the Hyuga clan are far more political and stale."

"What about my clan? We aren't close but were not all that distant either. Sometimes it feels like we all aren't even related."

"The Nara clan has existed in these lands since long before Konoha was created, along side the Akimichi and Yamanaka clans. From what I know, during and perhaps before the warring states period, the Nara clan have lived in the Nara forest and have remained so ever since. Even now, your clan lives on the fringes of the forest and the village. The Nara have always been a solitary clan but your father would be a better person to tell you about this."

Kyoko grunted, "He's too busy all the time now. He's the Jounin commander and worried about Ma."

"A man is allowed to worry for his woman." There was something strange in his tone. Kyoko never, ever, dared to ask the Hyuga of Neji's mother. Some things were just not meant to be asked.

"I think I understand it all a little better. Thank you."

He hummed in response. "Have you decided for your future? My brother is eager to know of your development as Heiress to the Nara clan. He was also… impressed with your victory at the beginning of the year."

"I haven't made my decision yet, but I thank both you and the Head of the Hyuga for your interest and support in my development."

Hizashi opened his mouth to begin with a response but a loud cry resonated through the house. Hizashi closed his eyes briefly, "It seems that my son has woken, I must ask you to take your leave for the day."

Kyoko nodded her head in agreeance, "Yes. Once again, I'm thankful for your time."

She walked out of the Hyuga compound, through the village road at the base of the Hokage mountain leading her straight to the Nara forest. Kyoko sighed, speaking with the Hyuga man always felt so elaborate, there were a whole new set of social rules in that game of speech. Kyoko hated the stiff and formal customs of, diplomacy, her father had called it.

Kyoko walked up the path to the front door of her home.

As she entered, she froze at the sight of her father pacing back and forth across the living room. His attention snapped to her as she cleared her throat to speak but she was never given the chance.

"Good, your back. Let's go." Her father took her by the hand and led her back out the way she came in.

"Pa? Pa, what's going on? Where are we going?" Her father picked her up and placed her on his back.

"Hold on."

She instinctively tightened her grip on him as he took to the rooftops. With all the blinding speed of a fully trained shinobi, her father leapt from one building to another until, finally, they stopped in front of one of the larger buildings in Konoha.

The hospital?

Realisation hit her like a brick as her father set her back on the ground. Kyoko looked back up to her father with hopeful dark eyes. He gave her a tired smile.

"His name is Shikamaru."

**[Chips],(****｡・****_****・｡****) Om Nom Nom**

**Just a quick thanks to everyone who has given this story a chance! FF hates me a little so I may be reposting some chapters as I go, just to edit a little as I get into the swing of things. Updates may come late now that University has started up again, but I shall try to stick to a schedule. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Early release! Next update scheduled for 6****th**** of May.**

**Replies to Reviews**

**Swiggs** \- Haha, I really appreciate the review and I'm thrilled your liking it so far. I wanted to try and cut away at Itachi being a god level hacks ninja. That may or may not come later, for now though, Itachi is a child with a ridiculously wise understanding of the world.

**Leofrick** \- Ahhh, your support made me write the next chapter so fast! (Currently writing this after finishing the chapter) It's only halfway through March and I want to post this so bad but I'm trying to keep to a schedule T^T. I am honestly so happy that you're enjoying it, I didn't think anyone would!

**Copycat25** \- Thank you so much for reading, I hope you'll continue. As for Kyoko's development, I share your interest. This story, especially this chapter, has a habit of running away from me. I start with an idea and stuff I don't plan tends to happen. So even I look forward to what is to come!

**NightlyRowenTree **– Thank you for the support! I'm counting down the days till I can let myself release this chapter. I've already started writing the next chapter too.

**Covid-19**

**In these testing times, I hope everyone can stay optimistic and hopeful. This is affecting us all in many different ways, some are struggling financially, some mentally and many are falling ill. Some people will be suffering more than they let on, so I ask that everyone stays kind to eachother. No one is alone, not truly, we all find ways to connect. You and I, right now for example, have a nameless and fragile connection. My country, like many, has placed its citizens in isolation with only a few essential services remaining. I am a worker of an essential service, I know the struggles people are facing and they are hitting me just as hard. Writing this story has become my only joy. So I urge you to all to care for others, and please, care for yourself. Kaua e mate wheke mate ururoa, never give up.**

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~**

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

The full moon kept Kyoko awake. She laid there in her bed, the night was warm so she had kicked the blankets off some time ago. Shikamaru had cried himself to sleep an hour ago, Kyoko had counted the minutes as they passed. She couldn't fathom why she couldn't fall asleep, usually she could just relax and clear her mind and she'd be off to dreamland.

It was still somewhat early in the night. Most families would be finishing dinner and getting ready for bed, the streets would still be bustling with restaurant goers and late-night shoppers. A calm breeze had passed through her open window for most of the night. It was a perfect breeze that pulled her away from the point of overheating.

It changed.

It was sudden, one second she was relaxed on her bed and the next she was covered in bumps and shivering. But it wasn't cold that caused her to shiver, it was the smell of the air. There was something feral, something animalistic, that clung to the air.

Shikamaru began wailing in the room beside her.

Kyoko got out of her bed immediately and walked out into the hallway. Her mother passed her by and entered into Shikamaru's room. Kyoko followed afterwards. Her mother turned to her after picking Shikamaru up, "Kyoko, honey, you should be sleeping." Kyoko rubbed her arms in an attempt to smooth out her hair standing on its ends. "I couldn't sleep."

Shikamaru's cries grew louder. Her mother rocked him gently and spoke sweet, calming words to help settle the boy. A thundering sound pounded throughout the village. A sound that shook the walls of their home. Kyoko felt fear trickle through her blood. Suddenly, she wished her father was home. But he was still at work, in the Hokage building. He had duties as a ninja and as commander of the Jounin force, but she wished dearly that he didn't just this one night.

Her mother grew tense, rigid. Kyoko was taken by the hand and pulled through the house, out the door and with an arm wrapped around her waist and the other cradling Shikamaru, her mother pulled her up to the rooftop of the house.

They froze.

Despite Shikamaru's growing cries, they couldn't find the courage to overcome the absolute horror of the sight before them. The demon stood amongst a cloud of dust.

Sleek, sinister and savage.

The giant fox whipped its nine tails back and forth across the night sky. The light of the full moon bathed the beast and reflected off the cloud of dust surrounding it. It made the demon seem almost god like. Like the creature had been sent by some horrible, fear-inspiring god. It roared a sound unlike anything Kyoko had ever heard before and one of its massive tails slammed against the ground of the village, crushing any homes in its way.

Kyoko could feel herself shaking, trembling, at the sight of the creature. It slammed two more of its tails against the village, taking out half of the Hokage building and parts of the surrounding buildings. It raised one of its giant, clawed hands and slammed it down. The dust and rubble kicked up creating a cloud around the area of impact.

"Kyoko." Her mother spoke, it was the most haunting voice she had ever heard from her mother, "Kyoko, take Shikamaru." Her mother gave her no choice as she carefully placed tiny Shikamaru in her arms. Kyoko had no time to ask any questions as her mother picked her up. "And do not drop him." Her mother jumped from the building and into the street that surrounded the Nara forest.

They rushed over to a man, one Kyoko vaguely recognized. "Kyoko, you remember Toamu. He's Daen's older brother and my eldest cousin." She knew of Daen only by name, Nara Daen. That meant Toamu was also a Nara.

"Toamu is going to take you and Shikamaru up to the shelters." Kyoko's mind halted. "What about you, Ma?" Her mother shook her head and glanced around, "I have to make sure the rest of the clan can evacuate safely. This is my duty as Matriarch of the Nara clan. After I get everybody out, I'll join you in the shelter." Her mother pushed gently at Kyoko's shoulder. "Now go."

Toamu pushed her forward and away from her mother who headed back into the forest. "Come on, we need to get to the shelter." He said.

Kyoko didn't like him.

She didn't like the situation. She didn't like anything that was happening.

Her ears were ringing with Shikamaru's cries and the rumbling of destruction the demon in the center of the village was causing her bones to shake inside her flesh.

They ran through the streets, buildings shook and waves of dust and wind blasted past them. Kyoko held Shikamaru tightly against her. Her little arms barely surrounding the baby's body.

"Above!" Someone screamed.

Kyoko looked up in time to see the incoming tail as it slammed against the ground meters in front of her. The blast from the sheer impact sent her flying through the air along with masses of debris. Kyoko, amongst the panic of her mind, subconsciously twisted her body in the air, just as Shisui had taught her and Itachi to do weeks ago. In that split second she was reminded of her friends and prayed they were still okay. Her feet hit the ground but the absolute force in her momentum sent her tumbling back. She went with the roll, taking care to keep Shikamaru stable and safe in her arms. She stopped in a sliding crouch and coughed through the dust, covering Shikamaru more with the blanket he was wrapped in. She looked around and scanned the area, the massive, destructive tail had lifted away.

Kyoko couldn't see past the ruined buildings surrounding her and swirls of airborne dirt. Then her eyes landed on Toamu. What was left of him, anyway. No longer was the flickering chakra coming from the man. Dead. She didn't have the time or emotional range at the moment to feel anything. Toamu was only a body with an arm still attached. Kyoko looked around more. There were others not as lucky as she. People missing limbs, pierced by rubble or flattened by fallen buildings. The screams of pain and horror ringed in her ears far louder than any cry she'd heard before.

Was this what war was? Was this the utter hell Itachi spoke of?

Death and destruction everywhere.

Chaos.

Blood.

Devastation.

It all filled the air into a bitter iron cocktail of grief. What was she even meant to do in a time like this? What could she do? She was just a kid, she had no hope of doing anything worth something.

The ringing cleared in her ears, Shikamaru's sobbing caught her full attention. Were they both going to die here? Her baby brother had barely begun to live, he couldn't die here. He hadn't said his first word or taken his first steps. He hadn't made any friends and didn't have any dreams for the future.

It wasn't fair.

It shouldn't happen.

She wouldn't let it happen.

Kyoko's legs felt like they were weighed down, stuck to the earth, but she pried them from the dirt road and forced herself to take a step forward. The second was easier. Then on and on she went. Till before she knew it, she was sprinting as fast as she could through the village, Shikamaru tucked away in her arms. Kyoko whirled around a corner onto a branching street. Her lungs burned and heaved as she pushed on. There was no other choice but to run forward.

Another massive tail slammed down somewhere behind her. The sharp impact of the tail smashing against the ground picked Kyoko up off of her feet. The adrenaline coursing through her body was the only thing she could rely on to help her find her feet and keep going. Kyoko didn't dare look back to assess the damage.

Finally, she arrived at the base of the ascending pathway that led up along the side of the Hokage mountain and into the evacuation shelters carved into the mountain. Kyoko caught her breath for a moment then continued on her path. Up she ran, the pathway wasn't that wide but it was secure and fenced off, which was something Kyoko was thankful for after she stumbled over her own legs.

Unable to go on at the pace she was moving at, Kyoko stopped and checked on Shikamaru. No longer was the baby crying but he was whimpering and sobbing. Slowly calming down and tiring himself out. He'd probably fall asleep at any second despite the terror in the air and rampaging demon.

Kyoko continued on, sweat gathered at her hair line and dripped into her eyebrow. She felt the wet chill up her back as her shirt stuck to her skin and the wind brushed against it. She'd never before pushed her body so hard. Never really needed to. Kyoko was meters away from the shelter, a few more steps and she'd be there.

They would be safe.

Kyoko took three more heavy steps towards the door carved into the mountain.

A bright figure appeared suddenly in her line of view. Standing on the top of the face carving of the fourth Hokage. Blonde hair and a white cloak fluttered in the high-altitude wind. The man, Namikaze Minato himself, looked at something far in the distance. Curious, Kyoko shifted her gaze and her breath was stolen.

Kyoko had never been to the top of the Hokage mountains before. She'd never seen her village from above.

Looking at the village now, her attention was stolen by the fox that rampaged in its centre. It was beautiful, in a twisted, haunting way. The forests beyond the village were dark and quiet, giving off a false tranquillity under the moonlight. Smoke rose from the flames of her village. The fire illuminating the Nine-tailed Fox's fur in a glow that was both ominous and brilliant. The stars in the sky shone as they would any other night. They were the only thing that gave Kyoko a sense of familiarity to the scene.

Then, the fox turned in the direction of the Hokage mountain. Kyoko once again froze. She could only watch as the Fox reared its head back and at the tip of its jaws formed a sphere. The dark black and purple sphere grew and grew. The sheer force of the thing kicked up a wind that tore the rubble from its fallen place and tossed it across the village haphazardly.

At the edges of Kyoko's scenes, she could feel it.

That rapidly growing ball was a nothing more than a mass of pure, condensed charka. It was a Jutsu, an attack, that would cause more destruction than Kyoko could imagine. The fox bought the ball parallel to the Hokage mountains and released it.

The black sphere travelled at an alarming speed straight towards her, tearing apart the village in its wake as it travelled to its target.

Her baby brother's heartbeat was the only thing that echoed in her chest. The flicker of flames in the homes of her village was all she could comprehend. This giant ball of annihilation hurtled straight for her.

Toward her brother.

Toward the shelter, meters behind her.

Her fingers ran through the black tuff of hair on Shikamaru's head.

The extreme amount of charka popped her senses, it was all she could feel, it tingled and rippled on her skin and throughout her body like a waterfall of icy water and blistering heat. Then, a miracle happened. The bomb stopped, just out of reach, and grew smaller and smaller.

Kyoko watched with complete awe as the ball went into the kunai held between the hands of the Fourth Hokage.

A heartbeat's pause was all it took before an explosion in the distance illuminated the mountain, the village and all of the surrounding land. The stars had vanished from the sky, as if in fear of the explosion's light. The blast was massive. Had it hit it's intended target, the village, its people, everything would have been erased from the maps.

The explosion lingered for three heavy seconds and slowly faded.

Everything seemed a little darker.

The sudden drop in light only made the Demon fox look even more horrifying than she's thought possible.

Kyoko turned to look at the blonde Hokage standing in defiance to the Nine-tailed fox's will. Kyoko couldn't believe such a ninja existed. She was awed, frightened, impressed and enthralled. She wanted to be like that. To be that strong, that dependable, that resilient. The Fourth Hokage turned and looked at her. His brilliant blue eyes, blonde hair and calming smile shook her to the bone. This was a ninja beyond ninja.

He gestured his head in the direction of the shelter's entrance. A silent order to take cover with the rest of the civilians. Kyoko bowed, the only form of gratitude she could give him for something she'd never be able to repay in a single lifetime. Kyoko pushed open the doors to the shelter and let them swing shut behind her. She walked over into the crowd of civilians and children alike. Kyoko even spotted some of the younger generations of shinobi out in the crowd.

"Kyoko!" A voice called out.

A voice she was so glad to hear.

Shisui pushed through people and came beside her. He crouched down to her height and rested his hands on her shoulders, steadying her slightly as she swayed.

"Kyoko, are you all right?" Everything hit her at once.

She laughed from the thrill of surviving an impossible situation. She burst into tears and dry heaved at the memories of torn bodies, limbs and organs. Her legs finally gave out under her but Shisui stopped her from hitting the ground. Kyoko buried her head into the blanket Shikamaru was wrapped in and sobbed through every emotion she'd felt and not felt in the last horror inspiring hour.

Kyoko felt Shisui pick her up and take her over to a less crowded area. All she could feel was the charka of the people surrounding her. It was a disgusting, intruding feeling. When that massive ball had been sent away, Kyoko had felt more than she ever had, and it made her head pulse. She felt more charka than she thought existed.

Inside people.

Inside animals.

Inside plants.

Her head throbbed, now that panic and adrenalin had worn off, the pain grew. The more she focused on it. It was impossible to ignore.

Her right arm and shoulder wouldn't stop twitching. Kyoko felt it bubbling in her stomach, in her chest. She quickly shoved Shikamaru into Shisui's arms and turned on the spot. Her feet gave way, whether it was from the speed of her turn or the exhaustion in her body, Kyoko didn't know. All she knew was that she was throwing up whatever was in her stomach.

The throbbing of her head worsened again and her throat stung from the acid.

Everything was moving, everything pulsed.

Black crept in from the edges of her vision but Kyoko held on to the fringes of her mind. Not giving in to the temptation of passing out. Shisui once again pulled her away and set her against the stone wall of the shelter. Kyoko sat against it and let the cool rock seep away at the heat in her burning flesh. Time passed and the battle went on outside. Kyoko could feel her mind even out again. Kyoko opened her eyes and looked over to Shisui sitting beside her. She held out her hands, asking to hold her brother again. The baby's chakra was calming and quiet, Kyoko tried to focus on her brother's chakra more than the mash of hundreds of people. Shisui carefully passed him back to her and Kyoko felt her body relax for the first time in what felt like her entire life. If Shisui was here, where was her other friend?

"Itachi? Is he okay?" She asked, her voice raspy and old.

"Yeah. He, Sasuke and Izumi are over towards the western side of the shelter." Kyoko didn't have any clue as to who this Izumi person was, but she didn't care at that moment. Both her friends were okay, her brother was okay, she was okay. Now she just had to wait. Her mother would be here soon, the night was almost over.

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~ **

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

One of the worst things about a disaster of any kind is witnessing the aftermath. Shisui walked through the village, like he had so many times before. The cleanup of the village was a rapid process. That meant lots of missions for Genin and Chunin.

They were called missions but calling them glorified chores would probably be more accurate. The Uchiha clan were among the first to be rebuilt. The entire clan had been gathered and given a compound at the edge of the village. Shisui knew from the complaints of his fellow clan members that the council had moved them under suspicion. That one of the Uchiha was responsible for releasing the Nine-tailed fox.

Another curse of the Sharingan.

It was apparent that the elders of the village were weary, fearful even, of the clans Dojutsu. The simple fact that it is possible to use the Sharingan to control the fox is enough to attempt to ostracize the clan. Even though it would take an incredibly powerful Sharingan to control the beast. A power he had. Shisui never hated the Mangekyo more. He hated himself for having it.

Itachi was fine with their new living space, the boy had told him. Shisui would even say that Itachi preferred the compound. It was quiet and full of green. The compound stood at the edge of the village, you could easily cross the border and go into the forests, a good place to scout out new training spots. It was a great environment for Itachi and Sasuke to grow up. He and Itachi had briefly explored the surrounding areas outside the village. They'd found a new spot for themselves, tucked away from most. The Hokage monument was visible in the distance.

_"I'll be so strong, you'll be staring at my mug up there someday!"_

Shisui smiled at the memory despite the pain it brought him. Shisui often found himself wandering through the village, only to wind up here in their new spot, sitting on the edge of a cliff that gave way to one of the more fast-flowing parts of the Naka River.

Neither Itachi or Shisui had seen Kyoko since her mother had arrived, covered in the filth that came with that night, and had taken her two children away. Kyoko had been in bad shape from the moment she stumbled into the shelter. She'd been covered in blood, dust and sweat and clutching a bundle in her arms. Shisui had rushed over in worry the moment she passed through the door. The small girl looked like she would pass out at any given moment. Her steel eyes were blank and cold, it sent a shiver in his blood. Shisui had been corralled by the older shinobi along with some of the younger generations of ninja, Hatake Kakashi of the Sharingan and his energetic friend had also been ordered to take shelter, despite Kakashi already being in ANBU.

Soft footfalls sounded behind him. Shisui turned, fully expecting to meet the inkpot black eyes of Itachi. Cold, sharp eyes met his gaze instead. Shisui could feel the surprise show on his face. Not knowing what else to do, he tapped the ground beside him as an invite to sit at the edge of the cliff. He trusted her not to fall, he trusted himself to catch her if she did. Kyoko shuffled over next to him and sat at the edge, her legs swung slowly. The rushing river and swaying trees added a nice ambience between them.

"How are you?" Shisui asked. Kyoko hummed and stared off at the Hokage monument in the distance. What she thought of, he never tried to guess.

"I'm alright."

"And your family?"

"They're okay too."

Short answers. He hated short answers. He got enough of them from Itachi as it was, he didn't need both of his little friends being so brief with him.

"What happened? You've been MIA for a while now, Itachi and I were beginning to get a little worried."

Kyoko looked at him, stared more like, for longer than Shisui preferred. Her lips curled into a small smile.

"I've been training."

Eh?

"Training?"

"Mm, to be a ninja."

Shisui didn't know if he should be thrilled or devastated.

"Ah…"

It went quiet again. The solitude of this spot was one of the reasons why Shisui and Itachi loved it so much. Wait. Shisui turned to Kyoko, "How did you find me here?" He asked with genuine curiosity.

Kyoko stared off in thought, her swinging legs stopped and she pulled them up onto the ledge. "Chakra overexposure during the Nine-tails attack."

Shisui knew of this phenomenon. It happened often on the battlefields of the warzones. It was when someone who was already naturally charka sensitive comes in contact with massive amounts of chakra. The large amounts of chakra would flood the senses and break the natural filters in the body. It wasn't a life-threatening occurrence, the problem came with surviving who or whatever was responsible for the insane amounts of chakra. The most famous case in the village was the Second Hokage who grew up alongside his brother, the First Hokage, who had ridiculous amounts of chakra in his body. The second Hokage was the best sensor the village had ever seen, rumoured to be able to sense a person countries away and identify their ancestry from their chakra alone.

"So you could sense me all the way out here? How far can you feel?"

"About ten kilometres beyond the other side of the village."

Shisui whistled, impressed. "I'll bet that's what you've been training. I hear it's pretty bad until you can get it under control."

Kyoko nodded, "Yeah. At first, it was the worst thing I'd ever experienced. Then the headaches just kept getting worse and worse. The only time I could get away from it was when I held Shikamaru and focused on his chakra signature. That's about when Pa realized what was happening."

Shisui had the faint image of Kyoko desperately clinging to the little Nara bundle back in the shelter.

"Your brother, he's fine?"

Kyoko nodded, "According to the doctor, babies don't have as strong of a filter until they get a bit older. Everything passes by them naturally without overloading the chakra system. Probably why Shikamaru started crying before the Fox appeared, babies are naturally better sensors until the filter builds to protect their own developing chakra coils."

"So, you'll be joining Itachi in the academy next year then?" Next year was only two months away.

Kyoko nodded again. "Pa has already started training me in the Nara style Taijutsu and he's making me meditate in the Nara forest now."

"Meditating?"

"Yeah, three hours in the morning and the evening. To strengthen and improve my Yin charka so I can start learning the clan Jutsu soon. Also, to help increase my chakra reserves."

Right, Shisui reminded himself, the Nara have naturally smaller chakra reserves than the Uchiha do. Kyoko would need to train more, both in mind and body, to reach a higher level of chakra. The earlier one started, the more flexible the reserves became.

"Itachi and I are going to go over a few more shuriken Jutsu later in the week. Same place as usual."

"I'll be there."

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~ **

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

"Now then, please introduce yourself and tell everyone your dream for the future." Kyoko watched the older man at the front of the classroom. Their teacher's name, as he had introduced himself as, was Funeno Daikoku.

The first year, first day, first class.

Kyoko was excited. Itachi, who sat beside her, also seemed excited. There was a clear and keen gleam in his eye. The other children in the class looked at each other, confused. Kyoko wondered why they were confused, the instructions were rather simple. But Kyoko was nervous, and her nerves held her back from standing up in front of all these kids and saying anything.

Being met only with silence, the teacher placed his hands on his hips. "All right then, maybe we'll go by student number," Funeno said loudly over the bustling children in the room.

Student numbers were sorted by last name. Her last name began with the character 'Na', so Kyoko would be more in the middle that the rest. Unlike Itachi, his last name began with the character 'U', he'd be one of the first people to go.

They began with a girl from the Aburame clan, two boys from the Inuzuka clan and three civilian kids. A girl with the last name Uehara was called and Itachi tensed slightly, anticipating his turn next. As the girl finished her introduction at the front of the class and began her trek back to her seat, the teacher looked over to Itachi and smiled.

"All right then, next, Uchiha Itachi."

Itachi rose from his seat and walked quietly over to the front of the class. Kyoko wondered briefly what the point of this exercise was, other than the obvious introductions. Itachi stood proudly at the front, "I'm Uchiha Itachi, my dream is…" He paused.

Kyoko wondered briefly what was wrong, Itachi knew what he wanted, so why was he hesitating? Was he nervous? No, even if he was, Itachi was a pro at the 'fake it till you make it' routine. Itachi hesitated again. "It's all right, go ahead and say it." Funeno encouraged. Itachi's face steeled slightly, "I want to be the greatest ninja ever, great enough that I can erase all fighting from this world."

Kyoko couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. It was a dream far bigger than the boy who stood there. There was little laughs and mechanical applauses throughout the classroom. Kyoko would have joined them, but this was Itachi, and Kyoko knew that if anybody could actually pull off such an absurd dream, then it would be him. The rest would come to know their ignorance at a later date.

Itachi returned to his seat, looking slightly annoyed. Somehow, Kyoko was reminded of Ohabara-san's grumpy looking cat. Kyoko nudged her friend and gave a loose smile. So far, the class was incredibly boring. More and more names went by, but Kyoko really couldn't be bothered actually paying attention to any of them. Naturally, she kept an ear out for anything interesting to sate her boredom, but they were all the same. _I want to be strong like my dad. I want to be a cute ninja. I want to be a robot scientist. I want to be a nurse like my mother. I want to be a flower ninja. I want to be a samurai._ It was during these introductions that Kyoko realized how stupid other children were. The only kid her age she'd ever interacted with was Itachi and obviously he was far above the average standard.

"Next is Nara Kyoko." Kyoko gathered her mental awareness and stood from her seat, walked slowly down to the front and stared back at the rest of the children. Briefly, Kyoko wondered what she'd say, not like it mattered all that much. "Nara Kyoko. My dream is to become Hokage." Their teacher seemed to be surprised by her answer. Kyoko didn't wait to be dismissed and went back up to her seat. Itachi looked at her with a questioning look, Kyoko just shrugged in return. It didn't matter what she aimed or dreamed for. Her goals were the same. Get stronger, protect the village, keep her loved ones safe. Extremely average for a shinobi of Konoha. But she owed it to him. Her thoughts flew away and an image reappeared in her mind. She hadn't been able to erase it from her brain. The dark night sky, the thundering of a demon and a blonde hero who stood up against it all.

Kyoko was half-serious about her dream. Her dream was to become as strong as the Fourth Hokage. To protect the village he gave his life for. To inherit his defiant will and stand against the horrors of the world.

To her, that was what a Hokage was.

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~ **

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

It turns out, Kyoko mused as she looked around the class, that Itachi was far beyond the academy level. He had completed a mock shuriken test the teacher had set up to test the classes skills in thirty seconds when it took the rest of the class a whole five minutes to complete. Kyoko only managed it in a minute but she was fine with that, she hated shuriken and Kunai anyway.

She and Itachi were the only ones to pass a written test with full marks.

Kyoko could tell that Itachi was getting restless, things seemed too easy. There was truly no challenge in the way the academy was set up. It felt more like practice for what they had already learnt rather than actually improving.

"Um!"

Kyoko stopped and looked back at the girl behind them. Itachi had actually seemed surprised by the voice, understandable since they didn't really socialize with any of the kids hanging around.

"You're Uchiha Itachi, right?" Kyoko said nothing since clearly it was Itachi that the girl had addressed.

"I am." Itachi replied rudely. Kyoko couldn't help the small smile at her friend's poor social skills. It honestly wouldn't kill him to be a bit nicer when talking to him. It was one of the reasons why no kids really approached him anymore.

"I-I'm also a member of the Uchiha Clan." The brown-haired girl continued, adamant to create conversation.

"You are?" His blunt rudeness carried through each word.

"My name's Uchiha Izumi. I'm in the class next door. You helped me during the Nine-tails attack."

"So?" Kyoko internally winced in pity for the girl. It seemed like Itachi wanted no part of the conversation. Actually, he sounded a little impatient.

"We take the same way home, huh?"

"There is only one Uchiha compound. Of course we take the same way." Kyoko actually wanted to bury her face in her hand. How did Shisui even manage to get through to him? Ah, Kyoko remembered, Shisui had the day off today.

"Uh, um…" Izumi tried again but Itachi cut her off, "Sorry, I'm in a hurry." He said and took off down the hallway.

Kyoko blinked, did he just run away?

Kyoko turned her attention back to the brown-haired girl beside her. Izumi looked genuinely saddened and somewhat, lonely.

Kyoko sighed, she was going to regret this later.

"Sorry about him, that's what he's usually like." Kyoko said to the girl. Izumi looked up at Kyoko in surprise. The girl quickly pushed away the negative emotions on her face and smiled brightly. Izumi shook her head, "No, no. It's fine. That was about what I was expecting anyway." Izumi reassured.

Kyoko raised her brow in question and doubt, "You were expecting him to be an ass?"

Izumi turned an amusing shade of red. How fun, Kyoko grinned internally.

"Oh, uh, n-no, not really, but, uh…"

Kyoko giggled at the brunette's obvious distress. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

Izumi lit up like one of Shisui's fire style Jutsu. "Really!?"

They began the walk through the halls of the academy and out into the street.

"So why did you expect Itachi to snob you?" Kyoko asked. Maybe Itachi had gained another reputation while she wasn't looking.

Izumi sighed and looked down at the dirt pathway, her hands folded behind her back. "I'm only half Uchiha. Not many in the clan treat me like I'm a 'proper' Uchiha." Izumi shrugged, "And Itachi _is_ the heir of the Uchiha clan."

Kyoko chuckled, "I can promise you, Izumi-san, that Itachi doesn't care at all about any of that stuff."

"Then why…?"

"We often train with Uchiha Shisui, he's like a big brother to us. He's been busy for a while now and today is his first day off in some time."

Izumi tilted her head in confusion, "Really?"

"Yup!"

"Oh… OH!" The sudden change in volume startled Kyoko a bit. "I'm sorry! I don't know your name." Kyoko smiled. "Nara Kyoko."

"Nara?" Kyoko nodded her head in response. "But, isn't the Nara compound on the other side of the village?"

"Hm? Sure, it is."

Izumi went quiet for a few minutes. Kyoko left the girl to her thoughts as they passed over one of the bridges. It was mid-summer, the trees were their lively green and the sun was hot against her skin. Kyoko typically wore a tan short-sleeved shirt and brown shorts but maybe she should ask her Ma if she could get a fishnet shirt to wear underneath, then her creamy skin wouldn't get burnt so easily.

It would be Sasuke's first birthday soon, then it would be autumn and Shikamaru would finally also turn one. Her little brother was growing up much faster than she thought he would. He had started to roll around the house at any opportunity he could, and he was fond of grabbing things. Ma had to baby proof anything he could grab and pull, like the curtains.

"Kyoko-san?"

"Just Kyoko is fine."

"Then, Kyoko-chan. Can we be friends?"

Kyoko thought about it for a few seconds then shrugged, "I don't see why not."

Kyoko was awarded with a girly squeal and a sudden hug. Kyoko had no idea what to do, so she just rolled with it.

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~  
o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

Konohagakure, the village as a whole, was exhausted of its resources. The third Great Shinobi War had put a strain on the village, paired with the destruction caused by the Nine-tailed fox, the village was in desperate need of ninja in the workforce. Which is the main reason Kyoko, along with Itachi and seven older kids stood in the classroom three hours after school had finished.

The graduation exam was short, each student only needing a few seconds to perform the Jutsu and then hold it for a short while longer. The Jutsu they were being tested on was the clone technique, one of the more basic, academy level technique.

Shisui had taught them both the academy techniques before they had even entered the school. It had taken a lot of begging and passive demanding on their part.

And practice.

Shisui would show them, run them through the steps and point out common mistakes but then he'd leave them to figure out the rest on their own time. Shisui probably didn't expect them to get the techniques down so fast but Itachi just couldn't _not_ master the basic and useful Jutsu. Kyoko on the other hand, had found plenty of time to train on her own.

Her father would wake her up early in the morning, and by early she meant four am, and he would throw her out into the Nara forest to meditate for three hours. Academy didn't start till nine, so she had to find some way to fill the extra three hours.

When Kyoko had asked her father to train her in the shinobi arts of her clan, meditation was not what she was expecting.

After spending months and months meditating and training, she had all of the academy Jutsu mastered to the point of using them seeming like a natural subconscious occurrence. Her precision in chakra control helped her to not waste too much chakra when preforming the Jutsu. The other academy techniques were the substitution Jutsu and the transformation Jutsu. All three academy techniques relied heavily on Yin chakra which was the Nara's, and therefore, Kyoko's natural affinity.

"Congratulation everyone, on passing the graduation exam. We will begin preparing you for your Genin squads and such, until then, you will have to continue coming to class for the remainder of the year."

There was only six months left in the year. Their graduation was set in stone, now they just had to wait. But that was easier said than done. After the next few days of boring hours in class that felt like an absolute waste of time, Itachi came up with the most brilliant of ideas. "Let's get Shisui to teach us the advanced clone Jutsu he mentioned. Then our clones can come to school while we use our time more… effectively."

Kyoko had, as Itachi had probably anticipated on, lept at the idea and proceeded to nag and whine to Shisui until the older boy caved. He finally did when Kyoko had found him on one of his more boring and mundane missions in the village. Being a sensor type came with its fair share of pros.

It was lunch break, Kyoko had left Itachi to whatever the boy liked to do on his break and joined up Izumi and a bunch of other girls. Her friendship with Izumi had led to Kyoko being introduced to some of the other girls in the different classes. Initially, it was just Izumi and Kyoko in their own little group, but after Kyoko had been recommended for and passed the graduation test, some of the other girls had gained and interest in Kyoko. Izumi was a social sweetheart. Anyone who actually took the time to talk to the young girl would be warmed by the genuine gentleness the girl gave off. Izumi, Kyoko found, was just a good person and for that, Kyoko loved spending time with the girl. So much of her time now was spent on training that this small amount of downtime did wonders for her mind.

It was during these times that Kyoko had been approached by Inuzuka Hana. Hana was in her class and had mostly kept to herself. Kyoko didn't know if it was loneliness or the Inuzuka lifestyle that urged her to join their little group, but Kyoko found Hana to be a welcome addition to the growing gaggle of girls. Hana was very much the additional level head that the squealing group needed. That, and her three canine companions, the Haimaru brothers, were adorable.

"Hey, isn't that Itachi?" One of the girls, her name was Mai, pointed down the hall. Kyoko could confirm without looking that, yes, Itachi was standing in that general direction. After almost eight months of meditating and practising, her sensor skills were becoming more refined and easier to filter. It still gave her a headache though.

"What's he doing with those three?" Hana asked nobody. Merely stating the unusualness of it.

"Those three are seniors, I think they're trying to bully Itachi." Izumi said in her light and concerned voice. Hana and Kyoko both snorted, it was utterly ridiculous to picture Itachi actually getting bullied, his sheer displays in class were enough to deter even minor bullying.

But Izumi being the pure-hearted girl she was walked over to the boys in case Itachi needed any assistance. He wouldn't, Kyoko was confident.

There was a sudden shift in Itachi's chakra, what usually felt like a warm and relaxing hot spring was suddenly a boiling pool of anger. Kyoko hesitated mid-step as she went to turn around. She had never felt something like this coming from Itachi. The boy was always calm, even when he was annoyed or agitated his chakra had never become so hot, so violent. But there was a coldness to his fury too. She could feel it in the pools of his anger, hidden like a blade with a sharp intent.

Kyoko followed after Izumi quickly just in time to hear the girl openly defend the Uchiha. "The Uchiha clan lives in the village too. People we care about died too! That's why…" Izumi shouted at the three older boys.

"Move out of the way!" A boy shouted back to her, he looked like the ringleader of the three idiots.

"I won't!" Izumi yelled. Clearly, whatever the boys had accused the Uchiha on, Kyoko was willing to bet it was the Nine-tails attack, Izumi felt very strongly about it.

"Then you're also gonna-" The boy stopped and chocked on his words in fright.

"Hey! Look at that!"

"I-It's the Sharingan!"

"L-Let's get out of here."

And just like that, the three idiots disappeared down the halls of the academy. Kyoko came to stand beside Itachi as Izumi turned around, "You all right?" Her voice was light as usual. The brilliant red of the Sharingan was the most beautiful thing Kyoko had ever seen. Three black tomoe spun lazily around her pupil.

Izumi swayed, "Sorry for butting in like that."

She tipped forward. Itachi caught her by the shoulders as the girl passed out. His eyes flickered over to Kyoko in question.

"I think she just ran out of chakra." Kyoko answered his silent question, "It'd probably be best if you took her to the nurse's office."

Itachi narrowed his eyes, "And what are you going to do?"

Honestly, Itachi could read her like an open book sometimes. Kyoko gave an innocent smile that Itachi would know had far from innocent intentions. "We'll talk after school is over, I'll let Sensei know what happened."

Itachi watched her for a moment before deciding to let it go. Kyoko watched as Itachi slung one of Izumi's arms over his shoulder and effortlessly carried the unconscious girl out of the school building. Oh, the pros of chakra, Kyoko mused to herself as she began her trek down the hallways once more and out into the back fields if the academy.

"That little demon Uchiha! Next time, we'll corner and blindfold her. That way she can't go around flashing those demon eyes." The ringleader said.

"Good plan, Tenma." One of his lackeys, the tall one, said.

Kyoko walked up behind them, the added chakra in her feet silenced her footsteps.

"What if that Itachi kid it there?" The shorter one asked.

"There's three of us, we can take those brats out."

"Oh really?" Kyoko voiced from a meter behind them. She stood in the long shadow of the ringleader, Tenma. The two sidekicks jumped up and backed away, all three yelled in surprise.

"What the hell?" Tenma yelled in frustration.

What's wrong Tenma?" The short one exclaimed.

"I can't move." His voice was strained with effort as Kyoko tightened her grip on her control of the Nara technique. The two other boys stood unsure of what to do.

"So, you think the Uchiha clan are demons?" Kyoko kept her tone light and encouraging.

"That's right!" The tall one shouted. Not very bright, is he? She thought to herself. "The Uchiha set the Fox on the village! My mom's dead because she was trying to protect my little sister from the debris. I watched her die!" The fool yelled.

"You watched her die?"

"That's right!"

"Did you even try to save her?" Kyoko spat out harshly and the boy visibly flinched. She knew she was being unnecessarily harsh on the boy. But with the disgusting words the boy was spitting out, he deserved every bit of spite Kyoko could dish out.

"Were you as helpless as your friend here? Unable to move, unable to protect. Only capable of watching and pissing yourself as your mother sacrifices herself for your sister, for you?" The boy was quivering.

"Quit the academy, none of you are fit to be ninja."

"How dare you! I'm Fleet Foot Tenma, you witch!"

"I don't care who you are, you're a waste of chakra." Kyoko released control of the boy's shadow and he buckled over. The boy scrambled up and raced to stand by his two friends. Kyoko began to walk away when her reflexes kicked in. She turned and snatched the kunai from the air before it could meet its intended target of her back.

The ignorance of these boys was going to get themselves and others killed. That kunai would have dealt some serious damage if it had actually hit her. Kyoko toyed with the boy's the Kunai in her hold. Fine then, she thought. Kyoko walked over to the trio calmly, the Kunai hung loosely in her grip.

"What are you doing?" The short one asked.

Kyoko gave one of her more sadistic grins to the boys. "I'm just going to show you that anyone can become a demon when given the intent."

The three boys eyes widened with fear.

Kyoko stalked over to the frozen boys. She threw the kunai, it grazed the cheek of Tenma and sunk into the dirt ground behind them. Tenma, shocked from the pain, instinctively attacked. He threw an arm out to strike Kyoko in a hard punch. She caught the arm easily, using his momentum and a bit of chakra to enhance her strength, Kyoko slammed the boy hard on the ground and threw her fist into the boy's face. As he lay there winded and nose bloodied, Kyoko turned to his friends and rushed them. She threw her knee up unto the short one's gut and rammed her elbow into the tall boy's lower stomach. Both boys buckled over and Kyoko used this opportunity to throw them on top of their already downed friend.

All three boys groaned in pain on the ground before her. Kyoko grabbed the kunai from the dirt and turned, she looked down on them. "You're all pathetic." They looked at her as she spoke, two frightened and one glaring. "You don't deserve to hold this kunai and call yourself a citizen of Konoha. You disgrace the Leaf ninja by turning this blade on one of your own."

Kyoko turned away and began the walk back into the academy.

"Hey!" Tenma yelled at her.

Kyoko turned around and watched the boys untangle themselves. They flinched at her glare.

"Izumi-chan's father died protecting her and her mother from the fox, by the way. Just something to think about." Kyoko let her eyes linger on the boys for a short while longer then carried on into the academy building. Kyoko stashed the kunai under her tan shirt and walked through the student filled hallways, following after her academy teacher's chakra.

Six months to go, she reminded herself.

She and Itachi really needed to get the Shadow clone technique down so they could start skipping school.

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~ **

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

Watching the three children sitting in the field of the training ground, he could tell, he was not going to have an easy time with this team. Two of the three children were actively and loudly engaged in an argument and the other just stared off into space, ignoring the other two. He had wished for some low scoring civilian kids he could just baselessly fail and tell to try again next year. But it seems like the Hokage had caught on to his little charade. The stubborn old man really wanted him to take on a Genin team. Going as far as to give him the Nara heir. If he failed her without a reason then there'd be far too many political drawbacks, all of which would fall on him. Shit rolls downhill, as they say.

"Good afternoon, my cute little not yet Genin." He said as he appeared in the field.

Two of his new potential students jumped in fright and the other watched him unamused and looking utterly board. She must be the Nara then, he thought. She was also the youngest, technically the youngest post-war student ever but most of the spotlight had gone to the Uchiha boy in that regard. At least I wasn't landed with him, he thought, poor Yuki. His condolences went out to his former squad mate.

"I, Sarutobi Ruma, will give you three a test. If you pass, then I will officially accept you to be under my tutelage. If not, then I will only take one of you as my student and the rest will go back to the academy." Maybe he could get away with having only one student.

"What!" the arguing two yelled.

"What's the test?" The Nara girl questioned, her full attention on him.

"First," He ignored his little student's words, "Let's all introduce ourselves. We all did this in the academy, right? Go on now, let's have the brunette go first. Up, up. Name, age, dreams, ninja interests. Go."

His students frowned, obviously they didn't like being ignored. Well, if they passed his little test then they'd get used to being ignored very fast.

The brown-haired boy stood up and folded his arms across his chest. "The name's Inuzuka Kou, I'm eleven. My dream for the future is to become the greatest tracker the village has ever seen, just like my Pops! And I suppose, my ninja interests are, uh, tracking?" An Inuzuka could prove to be useful on a squad.

"Next."

"I am Otonomi Norumaru. I am twelve. My dream for the future is to become the first successful ninja in my family and establish a name for its future generations. I wish to specialize in kenjutsu." Swords, huh? That could be fun to teach to the stiff young boy.

"Last."

"I'm Nara Kyoko, aged seven. My dream for the future is to become Hokage. I want to specialize in everything."

Okay, screw the test, this team was far too interesting.

"Congratulations! You are all now my precious little Genin students. I want us all here bright-eyed and bushy-tailed in training ground four at precisely nine O'clock in the morning tomorrow."

And with a flashy poof of chakra induced smoke, Ruma bounced at high speeds on the rooftops of the village. He scaled the walls of the newly built Hokage tower and in through the window of the office he went. The office was empty, save for one old man sitting at the desk, shuffling through paperwork.

"All right, old man, you convinced me. I'll resign from the ANBU until my Genin team reaches Chunin. But then I'm back into it, you hear?"

His father took a long drag from the pipe and blew out the smoke across the room.

"You liked the team this time?"

"The Inuzuka and civilian are both interesting enough, but you just had to give me the Nara girl, didn't you? That's one ambitious Genin."

"Oh?" The third Hokage said absentmindedly, knowing his son would continue to prattle and whine until he got bored. And continue he would, Ruma planned to annoy the old man so much that he would never pull his strings again.

"The Inuzuka wants to be a tracker, which is easier enough to teach. You know us ANBU, we have to know this stuff." Ruma sat on the ledge of the window and pulled one leg up. "I think I'll start him off with some of the more, uh, smelly forms of tracking. Being an Inuzuka, he should breeze through that rather fast. Then there's the civilian boy, wants to be the establishing ninja of his family, talk about balls. Wants to master Kenjutsu, funny how that is, I've been wanting some poor sucker to teach some sword skills to and now one just falls into my lap. I sure am glad that I got him and not Yuki. Although, between Yuki and I, I'm not sure which prodigy I'd have preferred. That Kyoko is so aspiring, if she didn't sound so dead set then I would have laughed. Can you believe that father? Me, laughing at a seven-year-old. Ha. She wants to become Hokage, you know that? Watch out father, my cute little student is going to take that lovely seat from right out under you. You know what she said her ninja interests are? _I want to specialize in everything._ Talk about goals."

"Ruma." His father said tiredly, Ruma's ANBU training was all that held the grin from etching onto his face.

"Yes, father?"

"Don't you have a pregnant woman to tend to?"

"Of course, how could I possibly forget about my adorable little bun. Have I told you that I just love the name you gave us? Konohamaru, truly my child shall be the true meaning of the village to me."

"Ruma." His father interrupted him.

"Father?"

"Please leave."

Jackpot.

"Two conditions."

"Name them."

"No more pulling my or my partner's strings. And I want a mission where I can also visit a Kabuki."

"Very well."

Ruma couldn't help the smirk that grew, "Until next time, old man."

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~ **

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

"Wow. I can't believe you both graduated from the academy in the first year. I mean, yeah, you technically graduated six months ago but now you're both Genin. With actual teams, too." The shiny Hitai-ate, the regulation steel-plated headband, rested comfortably on her collarbones, tied around the back of her neck. The steel, inscribed with the symbol of the village, represented the wearer as a full-fledged ninja of the village. Most ninja wore it across their foreheads, a style both Shisui and now Itachi had adopted.

Itachi scoffed and pouted to himself, obviously displeased with something regarding his team.

They were in the hidden spot above the cliff and river. It had become their new place for when they would meet up. Kyoko had just finished her first training session with her new team, it was a pretty basic training session. They had mostly focused on Taijutsu and tools like kunai and wire, but they had also started on tracking, with their Sensei as the target.

As far as teachers went, Kyoko both liked and disliked Ruma-Sensei. She disliked him because he had more than a few annoying mannerisms. She liked him because he was ruthless in their training. Nothing was ever perfect and that became apparent when he would consistently correct everything they did. And he would correct them one at a time. It was a method that took Kyoko some getting used to. It was slower than when Shisui would point out all of the flaws and Kyoko would have to focus on them all. But it was the method her teammates responded to best.

Her teammates were also slightly annoying, but nothing too unreasonable. Inuzuka Kou was loud and energetic but he also had the ability to put that part aside when he went into, what Kyoko had come to call, hunter mode. It had been interesting to watch the boy argue loudly with her other teammate one second then fall silent and poised the next. The boy often reminded her of an animal. Kyoko wondered if that was a part of being an Inuzuka. Curiously enough, Kyoko had noticed but not yet questioned, her Inuzuka teammate lacked a Canine companion.

Her other teammate, the one with the mouthful of a name, Otonomi Norumaru was rather average in all but personality, the boy was stiff and formal most of the time but was easily goaded by Kou into various arguments. He was what Kyoko had been expecting from someone who was born from a civilian family in terms of skill, awareness and chakra but her Sensei was fairly invested in the boy, forcing her teammate to drill kunai over and over, so Kyoko trusted her teacher to know what he was doing with them.

Overall, Kyoko was fairly satisfied with her team. Itachi, on the other hand, apparently wasn't.

"Who did you get as teammates?" Kyoko asked. This was the first time the three of them had met up since Itachi and Kyoko had been placed onto their Genin squads two days ago.

"My Jounin supervisor is named Minazuki Yuki. My squadmates names are Izumo Tenma and Inari Shinko." Kyoko internally winced, Itachi's luck had really been against him to get the ringleader of the three academy stooges on his team. Kyoko briefly wondered if the boy had spoken of the bloodied nose she had given him.

Shisui hummed, "I haven't heard of your Sensei before."

Itachi shrugged, his polite way of saying he wasn't all that surprised.

"Well! We should all do something to celebrate your official graduation." Shisui said happily.

"Teach us a new technique." Itachi demanded immediately.

Kyoko nodded her head in agreeance, "Yeah, something flashy."

"Please, no."

"Why not? What's wrong with a flashy technique?"

"It draws attention."

"What if that's the point?"

"… I see."

If she was being honest, Kyoko just wanted to learn a flashy technique with the intent of showing it off to her teammates.

Shisui hummed in thought. "Alright, but only if we go get food after this."

"There is a new tea house I would like to visit." Itachi offered.

"Then it's settled! I'll show you guys both a new technique and then we'll go visit this new tea house!" He said happily.

Kyoko had the suspicion that Shisui was just wanting to go out to celebrate. Either that or the boy was hungry and didn't want to wait for dinner.

"You probably already know this one, Itachi, but it's flashy and basic enough for Kyoko."

Shisui stood at the edge of the cliff and weaved through the hand signs that were necessary for performing Jutsu.

Horse. Tiger. Snake. Monkey. Boar. Horse. Tiger.

Shisui raised his thumb and pointer finger to his mouth and inhaled deeply. From between his fingers, Shisui exhaled and funnelled out a long, hot stream of red that gathered quickly into a large ball of fire over the cliff. The ball grew bigger and brighter, Kyoko could feel the heat from the flames from her place beside him.

"Woah." Was all she could say.

Shisui grinned at Kyoko and ran her through the hand signs, "The Great Fireball Jutsu requires the chakra to be needed in the body and transformed into fire. To do this you need to alter the chakra inside you. This was easy for Itachi and myself because we both naturally have an affinity for fire chakra. You, however, have Yin chakra. Did they teach you about all the chakra types in the academy?"

Kyoko shrugged, "They taught us about the main five of water, wind, lightning, earth and fire. But they never really touched on Yin and Yang."

"Chakra is in everything," Shisui begun, "So chakra can be categorized into the different elements. There's the basic five natural elements. Then there's Yin and Yang. Shadow and Light, we call them that but that's a really basic way to define those two. The Yang release is more the physical like the, uh, the Akimichi! Their body-expansion Jutsu is mostly a Yang release technique. The Yin, as you'd know all about, is more abstract. Things that exist but don't really have a tangible form, your clan's shadows are the perfect example."

"So, I need to change the chakra in my body to match the fire element? How do I do that?"

She asked but Shisui just scratched his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Sorry, I'm not much help there."

Looks like she was on her own from here on.

Itachi stood from his patient, seated position and Shisui turned to him. "I'll show you a variant of the Great Fireball Jutsu that incorporates shuriken. It's called the Phoenix Flower Jutsu."

Kyoko ignored the boys as Shisui begun explaining the commonalities and differences between the two techniques to Itachi.

Kyoko needed to figure out how to turn her chakra into fire. She found herself at a loss so, like any other time she found herself stumped, Kyoko sat down on the cool grassy ground and closed her eyes.

Meditation had become like breathing to her. It was something that just was, a part of her life that had become consistent and natural to her. It helped her focus, relax, think and just generally unload. Kyoko let herself fall deeper, she shut out her senses of the surrounding areas as much as she could and focused on her own chakra.

For the first time, as her will tugged it around her body, she focused on truly feeling it.

Its weight and texture were strange and almost nonexistent, almost but still solid. It was warm, an odd warmth that was spotted with cooler spots here and there. Kyoko let go of her hold on the chakra and just allowed it to pass her. It twisted around her focus and surrounded it like water. Like weightless water. But that wasn't quite accurate. There was something better to describe it, it was more like a dense vapour. That was it, her chakra was like a vapour.

She focused on making it heavier.

Thicker.

More condensed, more compact.

Kyoko pulled at it.

Annoyingly, it felt like the chakra she would use for her clans Shadow Jutsu. Perhaps she had subconsciously formed it? She had been practising it a fair amount recently, trying to increase her range of three meters. Useful to know but not what she was aiming for, she stored the information away for later.

Hotter, she thought, hot like fire.

Wispy, delicate and hot.

Untouchable, but can touch.

Stronger still.

Her chakra swirled in her core, she needed it hotter. Her thick, wispy chakra started to give Kyoko a taste of smoke.

The smokey chakra steadily became warmer and warmer and warmer. Something was missing, the change from intangible to tangible. She was missing the spark, the ignition, the fuel.

Why was it smokey?

It was hot enough, surely.

Smoke came from a suffocating flame. Maybe her hold on it was too tight, her focus too sharp. But to let this new chakra run freely through her system was terrifying. It felt like if she lost her grip, lost her control, then she would be consumed. But there wasn't much else she could try and so, with caution thrown to the wind, she let go.

Kyoko tensed as the hot, smokey chakra pooled in her core suddenly flowed and ignited. The chakra ran beside her blood, but it didn't scorch and boil her as she had feared. It trailed along its designated paths like following a small trail of oil.

"Kyoko?"

Her eyes snapped open to be met with the darkened sky spotted with stars. She turned her head to look at Shisui who stood beside her. Kyoko reopened her senses and found Itachi not too far behind her. His hot spring-like chakra felt a lot shallower than usual. He must have had his fair share of practice with the new Jutsu he was trying out.

"Uh, yeah?" Kyoko finally replied. It usually took her a minute to readjust to the world after she spent too long meditating.

"Let's go find that tea house Itachi mentioned."

Kyoko nodded and stood from her place. Just how long had she been playing with her chakra? The sky looked like the sun had set over an hour ago. "I hope it's still open."

Shisui grinned, "Well, if it isn't then we can always go to my usual spot. The curries there are the best."

**(****ﾉ****ヮ****)****ﾉ*****:****･ﾟ****Gai-Sensei!~~ **

**o(T****ヘ****To) LEE!~~~**

Edit – 27/03/2020


	4. Chapter 4

Frist off, I'd like to thank all of you for the support you've shown for the story. Especially the reviews, I get the email telling me that I have received a review and I get all nervous and 'fuafua'. And as I anxiously open the email and read the review, my day has been instantly made all the more better, my shift at work goes by faster and I don't think or stress about Uni. I honestly appreciate this small part of my life so much, so thank you to you all.

**AugustRush** – Thank you for giving my story a chance and I hope you'll enjoy the new chapter.

**datiyaturquois** – Your wishes mean a lot to me. My country is just coming out of lockdown and I have been working through it all. It's a little stressful. But writing this chapter for you all gives me comfort.

**AvidReader016** – Your timing is perfect. I was having a writers block for a short while there but your review gave me the inspiration to drive straight through it. I hope I don't disappoint you in the coming chapters.

**sjlovesstories** – As the first person to give me any feed back at all on this story, I am happy to hear from you again! I hope you'll share your thoughts on this story with me as I carry on!

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… **

**[ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

Kyoko awoke from her tranquil dreaming state to a weight on her ribs. She lay on her side, her mind already beginning to forget the dream she had been so immersed in as clarity began to sink in. What was this weird weight? How long had she been sleeping like this?

"Sis."

Ah, that explains it. Her mornings often began like this.  
"Sis, you awake yet?" Her younger brother droned. "Up, up. Mom's gonna' get angwy."  
Why was he waking her up? It was her one day off from those stupid missions and sadistic training sessions.

"It's my birfday. Are you sleeping frew it too?"

That sounded appealing but she was already awake, there'd be no returning to dreamland anytime soon. Kyoko continued to lay there, intent to mess with her little brother as revenge for the morning wake up.

"Sis. Sis! Come on! Up, up, alweady!" He wined and shook her as harshly as his little body could.

"Raw!" Kyoko roared and with quick movements, snatched her brother up, wrapping him into a bundle of her blankets. Shikamaru's scream of surprise morphed into squealing giggles as he struggled to escape from the fluffy prison.

"Sis! No!" He laughed and kicked and pushed off the wall. Kyoko stood on her bed, gathering up the bundled Shikamaru into her arms and started to jump. "Oh my gods! The world is shaking! Shika, quick! Do something!" She exclaimed through her giggles.

Even if the young boy could do anything from within the bundle he was encased in, he was incapacitated by his own giggles.

"Sis, stop!" He shouted and at that moment he threw his weight back. Kyoko quickly reacted to the weight change and twisted her body around as they tumbled to the ground. Her back collided with the ground harshly but it didn't bother her, she took worse hits and falls during training.

Kyoko lay there unmoving as Shikamaru scrambled out from the entanglement of blankets and sat on her stomach.

Kyoko kept her eyes closed.

"Sis?" Shikamaru questioned and shook her a bit. Kyoko's eyes snapped open, "Boo!"  
Shikamaru stared at her with a pout. Kyoko couldn't help but laugh at her brothers face. Shikamaru stomped over to her door as she stood up. Quickly following him out the door, Kyoko scooped down and picked him up.

"My little brother's getting so big! You'll be a man in no time!"

Time was really going by so fast. Not only a few months ago was she meeting her team for the first time. Going on her first D ranked mission. Leaving the village for the first time. Held a sword for the first time. So much was happening. But this one day was not a day for her, he baby brother was no longer a baby. He could walk alone, entertain himself and argue. He loved to argue, if their mother asked what they wanted for dinner, he would always say something different to what everyone else went with. He had recently changed tactics when Ma had just started asking what Shikamaru wanted instead of everyone else.

"Morning Ma!" Kyoko greeted her mother as she and Shikamaru entered into the kitchen. "Oh good, he managed to get you up."

Kyoko set Shikamaru down on his usual side of the table, the one that had spent most of her earlier years occupied by a now well-worn shogi set. That shogi set now sat in her room, only ever leaving the house when she took it with her to the Hyuuga compound. She usually visited Hizashi Hyuga at least once every few weeks. She and the Uchiha boys were much too busy now to play shogi every day.

Most of her days were filled entirely by meditation and training. Hours upon hours of being pummeled into the dirt by her Sensei. Days upon days spent sparring with Itachi and Shisui. It was slow but she could feel the progress. Her body was developing a natural strength, she now needed to use less chakra for physical tasks.

Her body had developed keen instincts that she relied heavily upon and her sensing got better by the day. All in all, progress was good. Her team as a whole had developed extremely fast. Ruma-Sensei didn't discriminate in his training. What one learnt, the whole squad learnt. That meant not only was Kyoko getting being drilled black and blue in Taijutsu but so were Kou and Norumaru. They all had also begun training in short swords and tracking.

"Kyoko, can you take your brother to the park today for a few hours?" Her mother asked. In other words, her mother wanted some time to set up the house for Shikamaru's birthday.

"Sure, I'd be happy to."

After a quick breakfast, Kyoko got dressed for the day in her usual attire of black pants wrapped at the bottom and a creamy tan shirt with a fishnet undershirt. Her Shinobi Hitai-ate lived on the bones of her neck.

She helped Shikamaru into his brown shorts and his favourite blue shirt with the Nara clan symbol stitched into it. With a lively slamming of the door and Shikamaru sat on her shoulders, Kyoko took to the paved road.

So much of the village had changed since the Nine-tailed fox's attack. So much needed to be rebuilt. Most of the village had been entirely rebuilt. The Hokage building was no longer the shining centre of the village, it had been moved to the back of the village snugly under the faces of the Hokage mountain. Many of the roads had been pathed with pale stone slabs, despite this Kyoko's footsteps didn't make a single sound. Kyoko listened as Shikamaru chatted away in his growing vocabulary about anything that piqued the boy's interest and weaved through the winding roads she'd long since memorized.

After taking a few detours just to extend the scenic walk, Kyoko found herself standing at the entrance of the playground. Even though it was still only mid-morning, the playground held excitable children of all ages. Kyoko lifted Shikamaru from her shoulders and placed him on the ground and he took off straight for the sandpit, still slightly wet from the morning dew.

Kyoko glanced over the area and watched. There were a few kids she knew here, one in particular that she was glad to see. It didn't take long for one of the dogs to notice her first and give a small bark to their partner. Hana's attention snapped over to Kyoko and with a large grin she and her three companions raced over from the large slide.

"Kyoko! Hi!" Hana greeted as she came to a stop in front of her. "Hey Hana."

"Wow, it feels like it's been ages! How is it being a Genin? You should come by the academy more often, it's been really loud without you." Kyoko chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm and they walked over to the sandpit where Shikamaru sat, drawing in the grains.

"Sorry, Hana. I've been stupidly busy. Are you enjoying the break?"

"Yeah, it gives me plenty of time with Mom and Kiba." Hana sat beside her on the wooden side panelling of the sand pit, the Haimaru brothers ran around the open grass not too far from them. "But I am looking forward to graduating too. Don't get me wrong, I'm cool with just moving up a year, but I think it'll be awesome to have a team of my own."

Was this some form of pack mentality that made Hana think this way? Kyoko briefly wondered if Kou felt this way too. Kyoko didn't really want a Genin team for any reason than to have a comrade in a fight and someone to talk to.

"I have a day off next week, we could go grab Izu-chan and find a café, I get paid for my Genin missions so I can pay." Hana turned with sparkling brown eyes. "Really?"

Kyoko chuckled, "I don't really spend my money on anything else and I really miss hanging out with you girls."

"Will you still walk Izu-chan home next year?"

"Sometimes, I hope she won't be getting into any more trouble anymore."

"Heh, don't worry too much Kyo-chan! With any luck, Izu-chan and I will be in the same class."

"I hope so."

"But you still have to come hang out with us!"

"Of course! I'll even help with classes."

"Awesome!"

Kyoko felt her mother's chakra flicker and flare up in the distance. "Ah, I have to get Shikamaru home now. Ma's calling."

Hana looked slightly confused but shrugged it off, used to Kyoko's odd tendencies. "Kay, see you next week then."

Kyoko nodded, "Mn. I'll find you guys when I'm free."

Kyoko stood and waved to her little brother, catching his attention.

"Shika, come on. Ma wants us home now."

"Kay."

They took the short way home, entered the house, took off their shoes and strolled into the living room where her mother and father chatted loudly with their guests. There were quite a few people there, her father's teammates, their children and a few Nara members.

The day stretched on in an exhausting four hours of babysitting and cake eating until finally everyone left her home.

Dinner was served like any other night. Her father sat there nursing a hot cup of green tea and sighed.

"Such a long day. Somehow, that was more tiring than work. How troublesome."

"Trouble-some?" Shikamaru stumbled over the new word.

"Means that it was a drag."

"Oi, don't go teaching him your slacking ways."

Kyoko chuckled at her parents as they started their bickering.

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… [ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

"Team two has officially received their first A-ranked mission!"

"Woah, really?" Kou asked.

"Seriously? Your not messing with us this time?" Norumaru was hesitant to believe their Sensei. It wasn't unjustified.

"Like when you said we got a B-ranked mission, then took us to the bee farms?" Kyoko offered like some sort of proof of his prior betrayal.

"What would an A-ranked mission be then?" Kou pondered as the team began to ignore their Sensei. Irritating their Sensei was their best form of teamwork.

"Perhaps it is 'a ranked' mission and the ranking is not disclosed." Norumaru said.

"Man, do you always gotta use such big words? It makes you sound, I dunno, desperate."

"I beg to differ."

"Oi! You brats better listen. This is a real A-ranked mission. So go put on your big boy pants and meet me at the gate in two hours." Kyoko smirked at her Sensei's reaction.

Her teammates left in a hurry and Kyoko walked back home. In any other situation, her team would never have been given an A-ranked mission. C-ranks were generally the highest a Genin squad would get. But the village was desperate. Ridiculously so. Kyoko had heard on the gossip grapevine that every ANBU Shinobi, the top ninja of the village, were all away and every Jounin and Chunin was on stand-by in anticipation of another war. That left missions to be carefully distributed, even more so than normal, to the teams that could fit their specialization. Even Itachi's squad had been assigned an A-ranking mission. Something about capturing a spy of Iwagakure in the village.

She packed quickly and gave a quick good-bye to her mother and Shikamaru letting them know she'd be gone for a while on a mission. She got to the gates early and was surprised to see her Sensei already standing there. They waited quietly for the other two to show up. Her Sensei was strange, he acted differently whenever the other two were around but if the boys were thus distracted then Sensei got quiet. Kyoko liked to watch him when he got like that. His slouched posture deftly disguised his alert mind and lazy eyes roamed the tree line, constantly scanning for threats.

Norumaru arrived first, dressed in his usual attire of a of a dark grey kimono. The traditional clothing fit him well, the dark haori hung loosely over his undershirt and the stripes of light grey on his hakama. Paired with his natural dirty blonde hair and dark green eyes, he made for quite a handsome boy. Not long after, Kou arrived at the team set out.

"Our mission is a track and capture. We've gone through this many times before so I expect perfect execution. Got it?"

"Got it." They echoed.

"Target is a confirmed ninja from Iwagakure, they were seen interacting with an identified spy of Iwa. Target is carrying information passed on from said spy in the form of a parcel, we are to track and capture before they reach the land of wind and return the Intel back to the village. Target must be disposed of."

"Land of Wind? Why are they going there?" Kyoko asked.

"Probably to throw off any suspicions." Norumaru offered but Sensei didn't confirm or deny. Either way, it didn't matter to them. They were just the bloodhounds, not the interrogators.

"What run are we going to use to track them?" Kou asked their Sensei.

"We'll use number seven."

The team had come to call them 'Runs' rather than formations for a very simple reason. Whenever they practised a run, it was that exactly. A run. Sensei had taken to capturing stray animals and marking them in different ways. He'd then let the beast loose and force the Genin to wait for a solid thirty minutes. Once waiting time was up, the Genin of Team Three had thirty minutes to chase down said critter with absolutely no knowledge except for one hint. Whatever that hint was usually depended on Ruma-Sensei's mood.

Run number seven was simple in theory and slightly difficult in practice but it was probably the most effective. Kou would take the lead in tracking under Sensei's guidance, then Ruma-Sensei and Norumaru would cut them off and engage the enemy. Finally, at the right moment, a previously hidden Kyoko would trap the target with her Shadow Possession Jutsu.

As per method, Kou took the lead through the forest. "Details on the target, Sensei?" He asked switching to his 'hunter mode'.

"Target is male, standing at approximately one hundred and seventy centimetres, brown hair, black eyes and was last seen wearing civilian clothes of a brown shirt and pale blue pants."

"Do we have anything to track him by?" Norumaru asked.

"What about the parcel? Usually, information is hidden with objects that can be passed off." Kyoko offered.

"Well done, Team Three. The parcel is a small package of ceremonial-grade matcha."

"Fine tea like that won't be too difficult to track." Kou stated, "Most people don't carry around expensive things like matcha while travelling. Shouldn't be too difficult to sniff out."

"Target is heading for the land of wind, right? The quickest route is through Joufuku pass." Norumaru added, his family were mostly merchant based so his knowledge on the land of fire was possibly the best of the Genin. Kyoko didn't know how well her Sensei knew the lands.

"You're right, Norumaru. Joufuku pass is indeed the quickest way to the land of wind. But a foreign Shinobi wouldn't know the hidden merchant routes of the land of fire. You know better than I how closely the info on secret routes are guarded amongst merchants." Norumaru blinked as if he hadn't thought of that and his cheeks darkened slightly in embarrassment.

"Our target was last seen at a small village near Dohou lakes. Judging by the route he's taken so far, he'll be looking to cross the border from Tenko village. Let's pick up the pace and intercept him before he reaches the village."

The rest of the day was spent quickly covering land between them and their target. As the sun began to set they made camp for the night and rested. Kyoko took the last shift of watch, woken up with the moon low in the sky and the stars beginning to dim. She stood watch high in the trees as the sun rose over the forest-clad horizon. Her Sensei woke her teammates and with a quick breakfast of wrapped onigiri, they set out again.

As they caught up to their target the plan was set in motion. It went so smoothly it was almost laughable. Kou had picked up the scent of matcha long before the man came into sight and Kyoko could sense the man's chakra reserve as one belonging to a practised Shinobi.

With Kou and Kyoko able to pinpoint the targets speed and direction, Ruma-Sensei and Norumaru took off ahead and stopped their target. Kou caught up and cut off any escape route the man had as Kyoko lay hidden, her chakra impeccably shrouded from the enemies senses. With a quick snatch of her Shadow Possession Jutsu, the enemy ninja was captured, the Intel secured and with a flick of their Sensei's katana, the mission was over.

Kyoko stood and watched as the blood trickled from the slit on the dead man's throat. It was a sight she was becoming accustomed to. She had seen plenty of death already, had even been the perpetrator of several people labelled as the enemy of her village.

She was troubled. Not by death, but by how little it seemed to affect her. Even the first person she killed, an instinctive reaction that had saved her life, left no scarring on her mind. It was, in the most sickening form of the word, normal. It was something she had come to terms with long ago but some saddened, unnamed feeling remained. It was the brutal reality of being a Shinobi, the main reason why she hadn't wanted to become a ninja.

Perhaps that was a lie.

Somewhere deep inside, she wanted to be a ninja. She only hesitated to take the first steps. She had worried she'd become the villain of her childhood stories. She loved those stories. The good and just ninja that avenged his fallen brethren and wiped out the evil and conniving enemy. The mighty ninja that followed all orders without question, who was under the wise elders guidance. The hero that vanquished his enemy and stole away the princesses heart.

Kyoko now wondered, who in those stories were actually evil? Were any of them 'good' or 'just'?

"Kyoko." Her Sensei pulled her away from staring at the cooling corpse on the ground. Kyoko watched as the man unravelled a scroll and laid the body on it. No doubt for some sort of examination of the enemy ninja. A ninjas body hides the secrets of his village, as the saying went.  
With the body sealed away, Ruma-Sensei stood from his knelt position and glanced over to the Genin.

"As expected, perfect execution. Well done, Team Three."

Praise for a perfect mission.

Praise for a clean kill.

"Well, I think a celebration is in order. It isn't often that a bunch of scruffy Genin can complete an A-ranked mission flawlessly. Even if I did most of the work."

Annoyance bubbled in her chest but Kyoko didn't let it show. Keeping her long mastered childish expression as a perfectly placed mask.

"Follow on, Team Three, we're taking a slight detour home."

It took the rest of that day and half of the next of walking to get to their Sensei's destination, Otafuku. The lively town was covered in bright colors and loud beckoning people.

Kou held his nose in distaste. "Ugh, this place has too many things going on." He complained. Kyoko took a curious sniff at the air. All she could smell was the food stalls they passed by. Ramen, Takoyaki, Yakitori, Udon. It all smelled so inviting to her, so she wondered why Kou was so bothered by it. Maybe his nose was like her sensing? With so many people bustling around it was easy to get a bit overwhelmed and distracted.

Their Sensei chuckled, "You best be hoping we leave before nightfall then, my innocent little subjects."

Subjects? Her Sensei was both indecisive and crazy with a hint of annoying.

"Why?" Kou asked, his voice warped slightly from his blocked nose.

"I believe Sensei is referring to the number of brothels in this area." Norumaru added.

"That's right." Her Sensei confirmed. Kyoko, seeing this perfect opportunity, in her most innocent and childish tone she could muster, asked, "What's a brothel?"

The satisfaction she felt from the males startled and horrified expressions would give her patience for the rest of the journey home.

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… [ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

The village was in complete disarray. He could see the troubled expression on the Third Hokage's face. The man did not bother hiding his frustration from the room.

They all understood.

First Orochimaru abandons the village. Then the messy affair with the Foundation, admittedly mostly his fault, Kakashi could understand why the man was greying so fast. Now they were once again at the edges of a war. To make matters worse, the leaf village hadn't even fully recovered from the last war and the Nine-tails attack.

The thick tension reminded him of the dead silence of an awaiting battlefield. The brief moments before some idiot decided to throw the first kunai. The unease of shaking limbs was a thought that lingered in his mind. He could taste the warzones. Smell the putrid fluids the body released on death.

See the steins and trails of blood and flesh.

Feel it dripping down his fingertips, caked on the back of his hand.

It had been almost four years since the Third Great Shinobi War and the images had yet to fade. The memories still sent an ache in his chest. He was glad it was over. That it was only a thing of the past, just a lingering nightmare.

Four years of nervous peace, it was a dance. Each village tiptoed around each other, testing and taunting but never really outwardly risking calling the hell of war back upon the nations.

This wasn't what Kakashi had expected though. In all his years of ANBU, none of the villages were as ballsy as Kumo, he'd never seen such an obvious plot to steal a Bloodline limit go unpunished.

They didn't even bother to cover their tracks, taking advantage of Konoha's idealistic intentions of a peace treaty. They had come to the hidden leaf under the pretext of peace only to try and kidnap the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Of course, the Heiress of one of the most powerful clans in the village wouldn't be stolen away so easily and the abductor was killed in the process. Now Kumo was demanding compensation for their dead Head Ninja as per the treaty they had signed the day prior.

That compensation had to come from the man who killed the Kumo ninja, the Hyuga leader.

Things were not looking well. If they wanted to avoid another war, they would have to give Hisashi Hyuga's head to Kumogakure.

But Konoha couldn't just do that, Hiashi possessed the Byakugan. A powerful Dojutsu that belonged to the Hyuga and a great military asset.

So here they all sat, the Hokage, flanked by the elders of the village and several members of the Hyuga clan occupied the room. Kakashi's ANBU squad hidden amongst the rafters and shadows in the wooden room.

The room had been quiet for some time, not a single person spoke a suggestion nor argued against the situation. This political web was not tangled in the favor of Konoha.

"There is only one solution where Konoha comes out on top." A single Hyuga spoke. The man sat at the back of the group, a show of his low ranking. Yet his resemblance to the man at the front of the Hyuga group was far too prominent to be overlooked. The Hyuga leader at the front tensed at the man's voice.

"Oh?" The third Hokage looked upon the man in the back of the room. "What is this solution you've found?" He asked.

"I must take my brothers place." The man said.

"Hizashi!" The man's, Hizashi's, brother hissed.

"It is the only way!"

"I can't let that happen."

"I won't let you stop me."

Kakashi had the feeling the two of them had discussed this before.

"If I take my brothers place then the Hyuga will still have its leader, my curse seal will prevent the Hidden Cloud from possessing the Byakugan and we will have averted a war that could last years. It is the best solution for us all." Hizashi explained.

"And what of your son?" The third Hokage asked, a calculating look behind his worry.

"Neji will be fine under the clans care."

"Is that what you want for your son, to grow up without his father?"

"I want my son to grow up in a peaceful time, not plagued by the troubles of war."

Everyone in that room knew exactly what Hizashi meant. All of them had seen at least one war, some had seen all three. Kakashi observed the room, the atmosphere was tense and resigned as the third Hokage closed his eyes and arranged his thoughts. Kakashi knew, with the information that he had, that Hizashi's plan was the best course of action for the leaf village.

"Very well, if that is your wish, I will honour your sacrifice."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

Despite narrowly avoiding another war, the room was cold and morose.

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… [ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

Team Three entered the bustling theatre. The sky outside was dark but the building was lit with softly glowing lanterns all around. Kyoko and her teammates followed as their Sensei walked casually through the halls of the building until they reached the main theatre room. The room was mostly wooden. A large stage stood at the front of the room. The seating area was divided into eight sections. Six sections were on the ground. Squared pits, floored with tatami, held eight cushions for viewers to sit on. Each pit went down about 60 centimetres from the polished wooden floor. Two staircases went up either side of the room and opened up to humble viewing platforms that formed the other two sections.

"Ah… Sensei? What exactly is this place?" Kou asked looking around. Several of the sections were already full at the front. People wanting to be closest to the stage.

"This, my cute little pawns, is what is called a Kabuki theatre."

So now they were pawns? What happened to being his 'subjects'?

Following their Sensei into the seating area, they all sat on a cushion. Kyoko was just thankful to sit for a while. Her feet were killing her. After three days of constant travel, the blisters on her feet had been ripped off and new areas were red and sore. Kyoko was sure Norumaru and Kou were in a similar situation.

"What's Kabuki?" Kou whisper-asked her. She shrugged in response. Truly, she didn't know what this kabuki was. But seeing how they were in a theatre, she figures it to be some type of performance, perhaps a song or play?

The excited chatter of the audience made her anxious and built up a strange anticipation in her gut.

Kyoko really wanted to know what was going to happen, the ambiguity of it all was thrilling. Minutes passed while sitting there, rubbing her feet and glancing around the beautiful interior, waiting. Ruma-Sensei sat on the edge of the pit, leaning casually on the raised wooden ground. She was seated in front of him, despite being the smallest of the group, she could still see over the heads of the people in front of her. They sat in their own little indents in the ground, making it easy for her to have a full view of the stage. Her teammates sat beside her, first Kou then Norumaru at the end.

The lights went out and Kyoko felt her giddiness pick up a little. The loud high-pitched sound of wooden blocks colliding with wood rang through the theater and hushed the chattering crowd.

Click. Click, Click.

Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click, Click.

Click.

Twang.

The sound of the biwa startled her. The infrequent strumming of the instrument filled her with anticipation and the low sounding notes paired with odd high notes gave off the feeling of unease.

"Long ago," Someone spoke. Their voice loud and clear. "These lands were filled with constant war."  
A single beam of light shined on the curtain of the stage. The silhouette of a battlefield could be seen, depicting ninja rushing into battle and meeting their end.

"Shinobi clans and Lords alike waged war and scarred the lands with their evil bloodbath."

The light showing the battlefield faded to a very low light then brightened. The battlefield was gone and in its place was the outline of what looked to be trees.

"Yet, despite their destruction and mayhem, there stood a single forest. Its beauty, so vast, so fragrant, that the Shinobi and Warlords dared not taint it. Lest it be the one place where consolation could be found from the earth."

All the trees in the shadowy depiction of the forest moved from the light, leaving a single tree. Its bare branches reached tall and wide.

"In the forest stood a single tree, alone. No other tree grew near it, no grass crawled closer, no bugs scattered upon it. This tree never blossomed. For years upon years, fearing the leafless tree, all others would not offer protection. Not friendship nor kindness."

The trees branches lowered and drooped but still stood tall.

"Sad and lonely, the great young tree begun to fade."

The light faded again, the biwa slowed its strumming and the light airy sound of the flute caressed the audience. Its melody gave of a melancholy and ethereal thickness to the air. The curtain moved. Kyoko tried to contain her amusement at the person engulfed in the end of the cloth, running across stage, bunching up all of the fabric to the other side. The back wall of the stage was a realistic painted forest.

Some bushes and the like were set about across the back of the stage.

On stage was a beautifully painted, lanky looking tree on a separate panel that looked somewhat like the deer printed paper walls of her home. On stage sat a small child, draped in long elegant clothing much too big for him, staring up at the painted tree. The young boy began to sing, his voice was beautiful. It rolled from note to note like an ocean as he sang his poem.

One so young,  
To seem so old.  
How desolation breaks,  
What should not be broken.  
We spirits watch, hope.  
We wait for you to bloom.  
Now we offer, become a man,  
Twenty years, blossom or doom.

The painted panel turned around and revealed a man, clothed in dark brown and grey. The boy walked slowly and gracefully off stage, leaving the tree turned a man on the ground. The biwa picked up its rhythm of play and loudly accompanied the flute. The man on stage rose slowly and weakly. His arms shook as he pulled himself into a sitting position. He looked around, confused, and pulled himself to his feet. The instruments hushed but continued.

"To feel as the human heart does, this was the forest spirits wish for the tree. Should he learn love, perhaps then, he would flourish. So, the tree left the forest as a man." The narrator spoke.

The lights faded again but the room didn't go pitch black. The man on stage walked in time with the beat of a drum. Steps short and sure. The spotlight returned in the form of a crescent moon shining on the wall at the back of the stage. On the stage stood the man in the centre and others lay strewn about. Some impaled and a curious-looking head lay feet from its body. Only the flute played its haunting tune.

"The tree travelled the lands of man and spoke to many. He found no love in the hearts of the people, only grief and hatred. He had come to be called Yohiro, he who looks for change. But none did he find. Despaired, he returned to the forest so that he may spend the rest of his short life in his soothing home."

Longing for loneliness, strangers in solitude.  
As a man, battles fought and won,  
My name renown, gold plated.  
My memory lingers, never the reaching sun.  
Brown of old blood cloaks wood,  
Ten years pass quickly.  
I find no beauty in their hearts,  
Amidst the bloodshed.

The scene changed as a young woman dressed in poverty walked out onto the stage. She knelt down by the blue cloth river and filled a pail she carried. She held the bucket so tightly to her chest, as if afraid to let it go.

"The maiden was delicate, he was spellbound. Carefully, cautiously, curiously, he approached. Kind she was to him, and so kind he was to her."

"Fair maiden, what is your name? And why do you carry that pail as if it were made of gold?" The man asked, the beautiful picking of an instrument unknown played through the air.

"To me, this pail carries water, something more valuable than gold. For the water of the forests are not stained with blood." She replied. "If my sisters and I are to live, I must fetch the water every day."

"The young woman left the forest to return to her home, the next day she would find Yohiro waiting, the next and the next. Till she came to expect and anticipate his company. Together they would talk and dance and sing in the forest's tranquillity. Deeper and deeper he fell for her."

The two sat by the clothed river, the flute sang out.

"Sakura, my kind and dearest friend, I can stand it no longer. My love for you has devoured me but we cannot be together. I am not a man, but the saddest of trees. Doomed to die because I cannot rid myself of this curse I carry."

He left her sitting at the river, alone. So she sang in a wispy, saddened tone.

The smallest of lights,  
Cannot shine alone.  
Wings of a hundred feathers,  
Hide of ten thousand hairs.  
Moonlight mist in darkened eye,  
My dreams ambivalent.  
Absently my heart,  
Wanders in his love.

"Yohiro did not return to the river. Day by day she waited and waited. Heart longing and fearful. Till one day, by the river, danced the spirits of the forest."

In swift movements, the fabric of the elegantly embroidered kimonos and twisting hairstyles covered in glittering ornaments were flaunted in the dance of the spirits. The girl stood nearby, her dull clothing paled in comparison.

"Follow us, the spirits said, we shall show you the man you love. Desperate to see him again, she followed. They led her to a great tree that bore not a single leaf. Swallowed by despair and realization, Sakura embraced the tree."

Though he loves, not a single fruit is born.  
Though he cares, he still drowns in despair.  
Would you breathe the River of Tears,  
For the chance of ten thousand years.  
Birds sing as blossoms fall,  
Bamboo makes for fair company.  
The red river peach and silver wings,  
A new love each spring.

"The spirits made Sakura an offer, for Yohiro to remain a man or to merge with him as a tree. Sakura looked around, though surrounded by the splendour of the forest, the war loomed in her thoughts. With the softest of smiles, Sakura became one with the great tree."

The large painted tree suddenly came to life. The lanky, overstretching branches ignited with a soft pink light and shimmering pink petals filled the audience room. Floating through the room on an imaginary breeze.

It was mesmerizing, magical.

"Kyoko." She was jolted, startled from her core. Kyoko whipped to face her teammate. Kou stared at her in shock, Norumaru sat quietly watching. The Genjutsu petals still floated around the room.

"What?" She said in confusion. For a moment they said nothing.

"You're crying." Norumaru stated, a frown settled on his face.

Her hands shot up to her cheeks. Her tears soaked the skin of her hand. Embarrassed, she used the collar of her shirt to wipe away at the tears on her face. Throughout the entire performance, she had forgotten she existed. All that remained was the story. She had been so immersed, so engaged in the act that it felt as if their emotions were her own. Enhanced by her imagination and song.

"Well, off we go, little Genin. The show's over and we need to head back home."

Wordlessly, Kyoko followed the team out. The story of the cherry blossom lingered in her mind and sent an ache in her heart.

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… [ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

Shisui had been having a bad week. In fact, most of the month had been rather bothersome, as Kyoko would put it.

Things in the village were tense as the dispute of the Hyuga was coming to a close. All the Chunin and Jonin were on stand-by in the village, that had left Shisui without missions for the last few days. With only training to pass the time Shisui had felt more unsettled by the scenario, not doing anything to help the village went against his base morals.

That and his teammates were rather… dull, to put it kindly.

His squad leader was a senior Chunin who just completed missions and went home. His other squad mates had formed their own little clusters. And because of his age and supposedly genius abilities, he was left segregated from the others.

Like a fox amongst cats and dogs.

His Chunin team were nice people, they all had their quirks, but compared to his recent company of the two rising prodigies of the village, they seemed lacking, in some strange way.  
Though, maybe it was harsh to compare normal people to the Uchiha heir and Nara heiress.

With trouble stirring the mood among the Shinobi ranks was shifting every day. At first, people were unsure, then conflicted, then angry.

What unsettled him the most, however, what the attention the higher-ups were giving to his little friends. Itachi' team had been given an A-ranked mission to dispatch an Iwagakure spy and Kyoko's possy had been assigned a Track and Eliminate mission, also A-rakned. Both missions were usually performed by ANBU level ninja.

Even more alarming to Shisui was that they both successfully completed their missions flawlessly.

Kyoko had returned from her mission only a day ago. She showed up at their cliffside spot but didn't stay long. She'd been taking Hizashi Hyuga's death a bit differently than the rest of the village. Shisui wondered but didn't have the heart to ask if she knew the man.

Annoyingly enough, the Hidden Cloud village walked away from this matter like they weren't the ones that started the entire fiasco in the first place. They even had the gall to act unsatisfied with the head of Hizashi Hyuga, even though they remained unknowing that he was the twin brother of the Hyuga's leader. The only remotely positive outcome that had come from this was that Konoha now had a shaky peace agreement with Kumogakure.

But where one dispute was resolved, another was brewing.

Shisui sat on the tatami mat of the hall amongst many other members of his clan. The air was thick with unrest. He had only been to three other clan meetings in the past, all of them had left a bitter taste in his mouth.

The room they all sat in was shrouded in darkness. The only light came from three candles placed around the room, splitting each person's shadow in three directions that overlaid with the people around them.

The walls of the hall were were made of paper. It was hard to believe that the delicate walls could contain such intensity. If emotions could solidify then surely the room would have flooded and burst at the sheer amount of dissatisfaction, animosity and hesitancy.

The paper door slid open once again allowing a small shred of light to fill the room slightly.  
Shisui dared not look over his shoulder at the boy and his father entering the room. There was a minute of shuffling around the room as some stood and others moved, then silence again as everyone waited for the clan leader to begin.

"We'll now begin our regular meeting." Yashiro announced from beside the clan leader, "Lord Fugaku's son will also be attending the meetings from now on."

Disgust twisted in Shisui's gut, Itachi was seven he shouldn't need to be here.

"My son is seven," Fugaku began. Somehow, Fugaku acknowledging Itachi's young age only served to stir up the anger inside him. "Although he has the Genin status required to take part of these meetings, he is still very much a novice. Due to my admittedly selfish desire to have him learn about the clan status from a young age, he has been aloud to take part. I appreciate your understanding."

Shisui avoided looking at the clan leader as he bowed his head politely along with every other Uchiha in the room. Shisui's eyes flickered over the shadowy figures of the Uchiha clansmen in the room desperately looking for some sort of distraction from the extreme discomfort building upon each and every movement in the room.

"Now then," Yashiro continued, "to pick up from where we left off from last time, I'd like to discuss the issue of submission of a written opinion to the Hokage, with regard to the segregation of the clans compound."

The once quiet room burst into a loud chatter of opinions. Several adamantly suggested on giving Konoha a show of force, others argued that the Uchiha should quietly bide time and should continue cordially. Most of the room stayed passive, hesitant, on which side of the argument they should support or which was most agreeable. Shisui's eyes finally landed on the small figure at the back of the room. Itachi looked uncomfortable in the ruckus of debates.

Shisui forced a small smile. Hoping to give the boy some encouragement, some companionship. To somehow show that he wasn't alone in all this.  
Itachi flashed him an appreciative smile back. No, they weren't alone.

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… [ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

All right, that's enough." Ruma called the draw. At his words, the two boys in the training field halted their spar almost reluctantly. "You can beat the snot out of each other later. Next will be Kyoko against Norumaru."

Kuo huffed in annoyance, his black animal-like eyes closed and he took a settling breath, relaxing his taut posture. Kou placed a hand in his messy brown hair and scuffed it up more while shaking the grass and fractured leaves from his hair. His hands moved over his clothes and flicked here and there, brushing off any dirt that clung to his red jacket and black shorts. While he still looked like the same boy from months ago, in terms of skill the boy had grown leaps and bounds from the scruffy Genin he had been. Kou was, to some degree, proficient in tracking.

Which had been the team's unknown goal for some time.

Kyoko stood from her seated position on the spectator rock, as the girl liked to call it and walked past Kou as he headed for the rock. Norumaru waited patiently until she stood a short distance from the boy.

Ruma watched as his students measured each other, waiting for his word to start the spar. "Let's go with Kenjutsu this time round." He figured that Norumaru had been thrashed enough in Taijutsu. Ruma could pick out the slighted amount of relief on the boy's face as he rested his hand on the hilt of his tanto strapped at his back.

Each of his little Genin now had a tanto of their own, it was hard to train kenjutsu without swords.

While it was mostly Norumaru who was interested in learning how to wield a sword, Ruma wanted all of his students to be somewhat decent in all of the Shinobi arts they had time for and as their Sensei it was Ruma's duty to pass on his knowledge.

And proficient they were becoming.

Rapidly. The damned sponges.

They had been a squad for several months already, had completed a number of high ranking missions and were quickly growing stronger as a team.

But Ruma still felt like something was missing, though they trained together and fought together and their teamwork was solid, they seemed to be missing that childish comradery that most Genin possessed.

Although, perhaps that was mostly her fault. His eyes slid over to the youngest member of team three.  
Kyoko didn't have the mindset of a child, she seemed to look around at the world with the eyes of someone much older than a girl of seven. She noticed things that the boys often overlooked, Ruma had even spotted her observing him more than a few times. He often wondered what was going through that child's mind.

Perhaps that sort of attitude distanced her from the other two. There was also the matter of her age and skill. She was already strong enough to take on several Chunin alone, perhaps even a Jounin if the circumstances were right. And usually, even if said circumstances weren't, the girl had a mind for twisting a battle in her favour.

"Ready." He started. They immediately tensed, their hands ready on wrapped hilts and muscles tensed.

"Go."

They moved. Chakra pushed into their feet to enhance their speed. Blades drew quickly and colliding against the other. They parried and deflected each other's attacks smoothly. He had made them train so much that he'd be disappointed if they didn't know how to counter each other.

Ruma watched as Norumaru slowly pushed Kyoko back with each swing of his blade. It was only natural, Norumaru was physically stronger than Kyoko, the older boys blade would feel heavy to her. Kyoko still managed to deflect each attack, then, she didn't. The sword slid straight through her and in a burst of chakra, she used the substitution Jutsu.

Ruma blinked in surprise as instead of the standard log substitution Jutsu mostly used by the lead ninja, seven crows burst out from where she was.

Norumaru was caught in a state of shock and dropped his guard. An opening Kyoko took as she leapt from her spot in one of the near-by trees and with a hard kick, sent the boy to the ground, her tanto aimed at his prone form.

"That's the match."

"Woah, what the hell was that!?" Kou yelled pointing an accusing finger in Kyoko's direction. Kyoko gave the loud boy an irritated look and moved away from Norumaru. The boy on the ground pushed himself up and calmly stood brushing himself off.

"A substitution." Came Kyoko's reply.

"But there were birds! Like everywhere!" He retorted.

"Kyoko," Ruma began, "an explanation would be nice." He was curiosity peaked.

"Ah," She seemed surprised that he took Kou's side in this now interrogation. "Well, it's a technique my friend developed, incorporating the summoning crows into the substitution Jutsu in order to confuse the enemy and create an opening. I kind of just, stole it? I guess?"

Summoning crows, Ruma felt annoyed at the girl for some reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Gee, for a little girl, your really just a monster. How strong does a seven-year-old need to get? Kinda pisses me off." Kou said with his arms crossed over his chest and an irritated look on his face.

"I'm almost eight." She argued back.

"Yeah, that's my point." Kou had a special ability to say the exact thing to irritate someone and Kyoko wasn't immune as the girl stood glaring at him.

"Now, now, everybody. I think we've all had enough for today." Ruma said. "We have a mission tomorrow, so bring your supplies and don't be late."

"Yeah, yeah, Sensei. We know." Kou said already swaggering off across the field.

Norumaru, who was usually quiet, who had been even more so since the substitution, nodded his head and flickered away from the training grounds.

"Sensei?" Kyoko's light voice came from beside him as she watched Kou leave the training ground.

Ruma hummed in acknowledgment.

"Could you show me how to erase my presence?" The question caught him off guard.

"What?"

"I know you can do it. I've felt it. Sometimes you just blink out of my radar. I know it's more than just masking your chakra, I can still fell people when they mask their chakra." Sometimes he forgot that this little girl could be aware of the movements of everybody in the village. Thankfully, she didn't seem like the obsessive type who'd bother to commit EVERYBODY'S chakra to memory. Although he did wonder.

"Why do you want to learn that? It's a technique most don't learn." Unless they join ANBU, he finished in his head. It seemed like a stupid question even to himself. A good Shinobi was always striving to grow stronger. And this girl was the perfect example of that.

"Because if I learn how to do it maybe then I can figure out how to sense people through it."

Sound logic, as far a Ruma was concerned, it was a fair reason. And, at the back of his thoughts, he was curious about the limits to the girl's potential. Perhaps it was time to kick the squad training up just a notch.

But first, he needed to see if the third member of his Genin team was prepared for it.

"Hm. Alright, we'll start with improving your chakra control tomorrow after the mission."

"Thank you, Sensei." And with that, the girl flickered away.

Now, to find that boy. Ruma jumped to the trees and with the speed and grace of a fully trained ANBU operative, he hunted down his little Genin.

It didn't take him long to find the boy.

Norumaru stood on one of the many newly built bridges of the village. This one in particular was on the larger side as far as bridges in the village went.

"So," Ruma started causing the boy to jump from his thoughts, "why is my dear little Genin out here, pondering away like some old man."

"Sensei, you startled me." Norumaru stated the obvious, "May I ask as to why you've followed me?"

"But I didn't follow you." Technically true, Ruma had found him not followed him. Norumaru didn't seem to find the small details amusing and stayed quiet, expecting an answer in some form.

"You seemed shaken back there." Ruma voiced his worries. His student's wellbeing fell in his hands to some degree so it was technically in his job description to worry about his students, anything that could stunt their growth as a Shinobi needed to be snuffed out. And he may be starting to like them, just a little.

When Norumaru didn't say anything in response Ruma sighed. "Was it that little stunt Kyoko pulled in training?" The look on the boy's face was all Ruma needed to see. "She's an exceptional Kunoichi, especially for her age, she has even been labelled as a genius by several of the academy teachers. If you're comparing her progress to yours, don't. Kou was right, she may be seven but as far as seven-year-old's go, she is a monster. One of only two."

Norumaru shook his head, "It's not that Sensei. I know she's…" he paused, pondering for a fitting word but came up short, "…Kyoko."

"But?" Ruma urged.

Norumaru gripped the wooden railing of the bridge. "But earlier, when I cut through her, it didn't feel like a substitution. For a moment, I thought I killed her."

Ah, so that was the problem.

"These are the risks we take as Shinobi. These risks are ingrained into Kyoko's mind and blood. She was born a Shinobi so she accepts these things naturally. If you had injured her, she would have seen that as her own fault, as her own weakness. She wouldn't have held it against you."

"That's not the problem, Sensei."

"I know. There is no solution to this though. You just need to trust your teammate's abilities. That's the life we live as Shinobi." And with an encouraging squeeze of his shoulder, Ruma left the boy to his thoughts.

**(****་།****￣）****/~~ Mmm… [ ( -/_\\-) ****旦****~ No.**

"Come on, you lot. Smile like good little children." Ruma-Sensei coaxed the genin squad.

The Nara heiress stood impatiently in the middle of the three Genin, directly in front of her Sensei. The man was on his knees and still a head and a half taller than her.

"It is not an obligation to smile for a camera." Norumaru stated from the left of Kyoko. Arms folded in distaste.

"Of course it is. Don't you want to look strong and cool for the ladies?"

From the right, Kou choked on his laughter. "This guy would need a personality adjustment to pick up chicks."

"The only female you could acquire is a dog." The oldest boy bit back, "Oh wait, you don't have one."

Kou's eye twitched and his face curled into a sneer. "Yeah? We'll at least I don't dress like a girl."

"I'd expect the traditions to be lost on an ape like you."

"Ape? Go look in a mirror, you overeducated Gorilla."

"Ah apologies, I forgot, apes are actually more intelligent than you on an average day."

"Bastard. Don't act so high and mighty, I can smell where you've been."

"What?"

"Yeah, that's right. Don't look so smug now, do ya?"

"Not a word."

"What was that?"

"It's odd. I thought I was imagining things when I saw you in the bookstore last week. What an odd topic for a young boy to look at."

"You're imagining things."

"We."

"… We're imagining things."

"Glad we can agree on something. Though you're still as pleasant as a toothache."

"And you're still as dull as academy kunai."

"Swine."

"Annoying."

"Find a mirror."

"Oh, how original."

"Will the both of shut the hell up!" Kyoko snapped.

"Heh, whatcha' gonna' do about it, princess?" Kou taunted with an eyebrow raised.

"Careful, Kou." Norumaru cautiously eyed the fuming girl.

"Pansy, what could she possibly do? She's just a-"

"Shut the hell up, Kou." Kyoko stood glaring as the boy next to her flashed his fanged taunting grin and his finger stood up proudly in a rude gesture.

_Click!_

Somebody award them for the 'Worst Team Photo', it would be a title they'd hold forever. Ruma-Sensei couldn't help but think to himself that maybe he should draft up some new training drills that involve being nice to each other.


	5. Chapter 5

**Late Chapter! I am sorry ** (- -) *bows*

I'm about a week late with my personally set deadline and for that I apologise. But it has arrived! And so, without further delay, here is the non-beta-ed of chapter 5. An edit will likely be released on the release of chapter 6 so please excuse any grammar or spelling until then!

As always, thank you!

**Try to seek happiness and please stay safe everyone!**

**Replies to reviews:**

**Vivi Neferatari – **Thank you for reading! As for the Uchiha massacar… Hmm.. I wonder myself. After the way this chapter went (It wrote itself again) I wouldn't have a clue how things will turn out. I hope you'll enjoy the ride with me!

**AugustRrush – **Your support keeps me going. I hope you'll continue to read and share your thoughts.

**Copycat25 – **Thank you for enjoying the last chapter! As for Kyoko's crows, well ill dive more into that in this (and future) chapters but for now, yes she did sign the scroll. The crow summon literally has no information on is sooo… yeah…

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***Running out of emoticons* ** **┐(****￣ヘ￣****;)┌**

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**Taking applications for this space.**

The Chunin Exam.

Where the Genin of all the villages could come together and compete against each other. To show off their developing strengths to their village and strive for a promotion to the rank of Chunin.

But it was more than just that.

It was a power display.

The Kage, leader of the village, would only send their more promising Genin to other villages. It was a great honour and a large shiny target painted on the backs of participants.

It was a thrilling and terrifying attempt at peace.

And she'd been recommended. Kyoko sat at the edge of the cliffside, alone. The sun was starting to set and the sky was dyed a most captivating orange. It was cold. Winter had come in quickly in the last few days, the trees were bare of their leaves and the mountains in the distance were capped with snow visible from where she sat now. The snowfall had yet to reach the village but it would soon.

Her thoughts trailed to earlier in the afternoon. Her team had shown up to the training grounds, ready for whatever their fickle Sensei decided to throw at them.

Of course, Ruma-Sensei was always one to surprise them somehow.

If they all accepted the offer to participate in the exams then team three would be off to the Blood Mist Village.

It was one of the most risky exams to go to. Not only because it was being held in the Hidden Mist Village but also because it would be the first exam open to all villages since the war's official end. There would be a lot of shinobi with a finger itching for revenge and even more judgmental discrimination between the village.

The village hidden in the mist was chosen because they didn't take a side in Konoha's war against Iwagakure. And by not taking a side, that meant betraying all the villages they worked with for their own gain. Kyoko thought the choice was a stupid one, with all the factors taken into consideration no shinobi would choose the mist. In the end, the decision was agreed upon by the daimio of each land.

The daimio, a non-shinobi unlike the Kage, was the ruler of the specific elemental nation. The Kage were the leaders of militarized villages, thus the daimio often strived to coexist with the Kage of their lands. But at the end of the day, the daimio had the final decision.

The hidden leaf village had to participate, there was really no choice otherwise. After the war, the Nine-tails attack and that stunt pulled by The Hidden Cloud, if The Hidden Leaf didn't participate then they'd be seen as weakened. That might give the other lands a few ideas. Ideas that the Leaf really didn't need right now.

So Konoha needed to send promising candidates and apparently team three qualified.

It was risky, putting it lightly. All the other villages would be sending the cream of the crop. There was a good chance of death on the table. Another underlying benefit of the exams, the Kage's unspoken hope that their Genin may kill off some of the others.

Were they ready for it?

Team three had been busy. Training was going well, missions went well. Everything was progressing steadily, but Kyoko was unsure if they were ready for something like the Chunin exam.

But it was also an opportunity, a rare one in this circumstance. Kyoko hadn't thought they'd be given a shot at any of the exams for the next year or two. But to get the very first exam since the war said a lot. The Hokage had been watching them enough to recognize their development. He had faith in their Sensei's judgment and for whatever reason, deemed they were good enough to represent the village.

They wouldn't be the only team going, if they did.

Kyoko had no doubt that the boys of her team wouldn't properly think through the risks of going to another village for the exams. They were too keen to prove themselves. Too eager to advance. If there was one thing Kyoko had learnt whilst being on team three, taking things slow wasn't bad. She'd improved by leaps and bounds from the academy student she had been. Sure she was advanced for her age at the time but she lacked in several fundamental techniques and abilities.

Her chakra control was now on par with her Sensei thanks to his gruelling training. Her shuriken Jutsu was now more than a parlour trick and was an efficient weapon.

Her biggest weakness at the moment was Genjutsu but Kyoko wasn't too worried about that. She could tell when she was in most basic illusions and get herself out, that was all she needed for now. There were other techniques she wanted to know and others she wanted to develop.

For the last month she had been working on her family Jutsu, the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Kyoko favoured that Jutsu in most of her fights, it was a flexible and useful Jutsu to use for someone who was creative enough to find its many uses. Pairing her shadow Jutsu with the chakra erasure technique, Kyoko found she could win most of her battles without even fighting. She was becoming adept at the silent killing. An assassin in the works.

So being the centre of attention in an exam didn't really work for her.

But the opportunity was far too good.

The sun tipped on the horizon of the forest lined distance. Small specks of stars were suddenly noticeable in the purple sky.

"How long have you been sitting here?" The sudden voice behind her would have made any other jump. He was getting good at concealing his chakra, but not good enough to hide from her.

Kyoko had followed Itachi's chakra from the moment he stepped foot in the forest behind the Uchiha clan.

"Not sure." Kyoko hummed in thought and stared contemplating at the sky. "Several hours? Maybe?"

"Alone?" Kyoko could hear the judgment in his voice. That was fair, usually whenever she wanted to think alone she would go to the Nara forest. The dark, quite trees calmed her and the deer offered the occasional company. But for now she just wanted to hear the rushing of the river instead of blood pumping through her veins.

"I'm not entirely alone."

"The crows don't count."

"Well I'm not alone anymore. Aren't I?" Kyoko smirked at the cheekiness of her answer. She could practically hear Itachi roll his eyes as he walked over from where he had stood beside a tree on the outskirts of the forest. Itachi lowered himself beside her.

The silence rolled on between them.

"Ruma-Sensei recommended team three for the exam." Kyoko voiced.

Itachi didn't reply. Kyoko slid her gaze over to her friend. He sat with a leg hung over the edge of the cliff and the other bent at the knee. A frown rested on his otherwise blank face.

Surprise and realization set in. "Your team didn't?" She asked and his frown deepened.

"I just argued with my team Jounin about it. My teammates aren't strong enough yet."

If Itachi were on a different team, Kyoko wondered, would he still be held back like this?

Itachi was one of the villages shining gems. Fresh from the mines and ready to be cut and polished. Wouldn't the Hokage want to show him off? Surely Itachi was the most promising Genin, why keep him tucked away in the village?

Although, in theory, it was best to keep any aces up your sleeve.

Maybe that's why she had been aloud to attend. Because compared to Itachi, Kyoko was second best. Itachi had practically led his Genin team this entire time. He was even more useful than his Jounin Sensei and had saved both his teammates and his missions more often than not.

Envy built up in the pit of her gut.

He was strong, he was clever, and he was an Uchiha. The seemingly boundless amounts of chakra his body could hold and those pretty, pretty Sharingan eyes he would no doubt unlock. Itachi's potential was near limitless.

Unlike her.

She was a Nara, a supposed strategic genius. She was the youngest Nara clan member to have mastered her clans Jutsu. She graduated the academy at seven and completed several high-ranking missions with her Genin team. She knew many Jutsu beyond her age and experience level. She had a summoning contract with one of the most allusive summons in the shinobi lands. Although, credit for the contract goes to Shisui. Without Shisui both Itachi and Kyoko would be miles behind their current standing.

"We should get Shisui a present."

"Perhaps some flowers?" Itachi joked without missing a beat.

"Or a pretty necklace?" Kyoko suggested, Itachi snorted at the idea.

"Hm, he suits jewellery."

"Then maybe some matching earrings?"

They chuckled at the nonsense of their joke, picturing their older brother figure glammed out in assortments of chains and rings. Kyoko felt the tense feelings of the day melt away as she focused in on Itachi's swirling pool of chakra. Warm, consistent and soothing.

"I think I'll go." Kyoko voiced. Itachi didn't say anything to her remark. He sat quietly, muddled in his own brain and thoughts. But his silence was his way of support. If he thought she shouldn't participate then he would voice his opinion.

There was no right decision. There were just choices and all choices had positive and negative outcomes.

So come what may.

If Itachi was an ace in the Hokage's sleeve, then Kyoko would be the joker on the table.

"Wanna' quick spar?" Kyoko offered, suddenly feeling energized.

Itachi slid his gaze to her, meeting her eye with a keen light to them. A challenge.

He said nothing as he stood, his fingers toyed with the kunai strapped at his waist.

And waited.

So that was a yes then, Kyoko thought. Mentally rolling her eyes at the dramatics of Uchiha behaviour as she stood.

They stood facing each other. To their left was the sheer drop of the cliff into the Naka river below. To the right was the forest that led back to the village. The rushing of the river grew louder as the air around them grew quiet and tense with intent.

_Caw._

At the sound of the crows cry. They lunged at each other.

Itachi raised his kunai in a swift movement to block the tanto aimed for his head. Metal screeched as they struggled.

Kyoko channelled more chakra into her feet, giving her leverage to push Itachi back.

He jump with the momentum. As soon as his feet hit the grass he moved forward.

Kyoko parried the kunai. Again and again. Their blades rung out with each strike.

The air sung in warning as Itachi's kunai sliced through the empty air. He caught her tanto with such speed that the blade went flying from her grip.

Kyoko followed the movement through and swung her leg up. Her heel catching the hilt of Itachi's kunai. The knife whistled through the air. Kyoko heard the hollow sound of the wayward blade embedding itself in a tree.

Her moment of distraction gave Itachi the opening his dark eyes were always searching for as he gripped her raised ankle and yanked her forward.

Kyoko caught his elbow before he could ram it in her gut. She flicked her elbow up, aimed at his face. With the tilt of his head he dodged her attack. And the next one after that.

Kyoko yelped as he suddenly pulled at her leg. He flung her off to the side. The breath left her lungs as the ground beneath her disappeared.

She pulled out two kunai from her pouch and flung one toward Itachi. He deflected it quickly with his own. Kyoko flicked her other kunai off to the side. Itachi's eyes followed it as it collided with the deflected kunai, sending it soaring back at the boy. Itachi bought up his arm to guard, the kunai soared past him.

With a grin, Kyoko tugged at the wire attached to her kunai.

The ultra thin wire wrapped around the boy's leg in a tangle just as Kyoko started to give out to gravity over the edge of the cliff.

Itachi ran toward her.

In a moment of absolute insanity that only he could bring, Itachi kept off the cliff. With a tug of the wire between them, he launched towards her. Kyoko blocked his oncoming kick with her arms. As she dropped faster, Kyoko pulled and brought Itachi down further. In a quick flurry of attacks and blocks, they hurtled closer to the raging river.

Itachi hit the pressure point in her wrist. Numb and unresponsive, Kyoko dropped the wired kunai. It took less than a second for Itachi to snatch it out of the air between them and aim for her. Kyoko blocked with the metal plates of her gloves.

Kyoko could feel the pooling mass of chakra gathered in Itachi's foot. He aimed that kick at her. Seeing her opportunity, Kyoko rapidly gathered an opposing amount of chakra in the sole of her foot. The familiar tingle ignited another surge of adrenaline through her blood.

They collided.

Chakra enhanced force sent them blasting apart. Kyoko twisted in the air. With the perfect amount of chakra, she stuck to the side of the cliff. Not wasting a second she pushed off and ran up the solid rock wall. At the top, with a quick blast of chakra, she jumped. Her small body easily cleared the distance and she landed skidding across the grassy ground, not far from where she sat earlier. Itachi already stood at the top, waiting for her and unpicking the tangle around his leg. Beside him, stood his younger brother, Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke was a tiny little thing, clinging to his brothers' free leg. The boy was only a few months older than Shikamaru, Kyoko and Itachi often competed on their brother's development. It was stupid things like who walked first, who ate their meals with a spoon, who could throw the loudest tantrums and so on. It was amusing enough.

Sasuke clung to his brothers' leg and watched her wearily. This was the first time she had seen the boy since he was a baby.

"Sasuke, this is Kyoko." Itachi introduced them. Despite Itachi's encouraging nudges Sasuke continued to cling to him and a scowl appeared on his face. "My friend." Itachi added.

Sasuke turned to look up to Itachi quietly then back to her, still scowling. It was all pretty funny to Kyoko. The boy continued to say nothing and tugged at Itachi's clothed leg.

Itachi sighed and picked the young boy up. Sasuke curled into Itachi's body as the older boy threw the wired kunai, now unwrapped from his leg, back to Kyoko.

Kyoko snatched it from the air before it could sail past her and with a quick thanks, she began to coil the wire back into her pouch.

"I need to get Sasuke home for dinner."

"Mm. Bye." With nothing else said between them, Itachi vanished with the body flicker technique.

Deciding she should head back, Kyoko left in a similar fashion. A pulse of chakra, less than a minute and she stood in the cobblestone pathway that led up to her house.

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It was cold. There was snow on the ground and he couldn't feel his toes anymore. Whoever thought of open-toed shoes being the standard for shinobi really didn't take comfort into consideration.

Hence why Kou sat on a thick low branch of a tree. Waiting.

He was always the first to arrive at the training grounds. Always. He'd be there hours early, just waiting. There was nothing else in this life of his anyway.

This team, this village, this career was all he had.

He cherished it dearly. On the inside.

He knew his attitude pissed his team off but it was all he could do. It was his defence, a way to protect his already broken heart.

The training grounds were the same as always. The birds flurried about the trees and the wind pushed through what leaves remained, creating a calming sound.

This would be the last time he would be able to sit and just listen. In less than two hours he and the rest of his team would be off to the Chunin exams. The village Hidden in the Mist was a hefty distance to travel. Team three had only ever had missions in the land of fire. Sure, they left the village more than the average Genin team but that was because of the type of squad they were.

They were hunters, be it information or person. Most of the time. There were several missions where they acted as guards for merchants. Although those missions usually came their way because of a certain member of their team. With Norumaru being from a family of merchants, that probably made them a bit biased or maybe it just made them feel comfortable. Kou didn't know, didn't care enough to really find out.

"You were later than usual today."

Kou turned his head to the voice. Light and fluffy, a voice that obviously belonged to a kid. But this was no child.

"You're earlier than usual."

She frowned at his response. Kyoko wasn't usually one to be an open book about her emotions, but she did share more than he initially though she would.

When he first became a member of team three, Kou could remember it clearer than crystal, sitting in this very field, angry. He had been angry at the world for a long time, long before that day.

But then, things changed.

He didn't know when he began to look forward to annoying Norumaru. He didn't know why he enjoyed fighting with the little monster at his side. He didn't know why he longed for their Sensei's attention. He just didn't know.

"Is something bothering you?" Kyoko, the little monster, asked.

She did this sometimes. Surprise him, that is. She was usually pretty uncaring about the rest of their team. But sometimes she did show concern, it was the little things that really spoke out to him. A piece of arrogant advice, a supposedly unwanted onigiri, nit-picking that their weapons weren't sharp enough. She tried to hide it, maybe without realising it. At first, he truly thought she was just an arrogant brat that needed a good beating to come back down to earth with the rest of the village.

He changed his thoughts not to long ago, during the Kabuki – he still didn't know what a kabuki was meant to be – he had watched her reactions to the act. The little monster was suddenly an enchanted little girl who giggled, gasped and cried at the scenes on stage. Ever since, Kyoko had been both only a monster and a girl.

Realising he had been lost to his thoughts for too long to reply with anything along the lines of 'Fine' without seeming suspicious, he just decided to ignore her. It'd piss her off just enough to get her to drop any questions of worry. He was fine. He was.

"He's worried." The other voice startled him, with a quick turn in the others direction Kou found his other teammate standing in the opening to their right.

Ever since their Sensei taught them how to mask their chakra his team had been scaring him to the next generation. He was a poor sensor, even by regular shinobi standards.

It didn't really matter at the moment. That was what Kyoko was here for. The girls ridiculously high sensor skills were the major reason that Sensei had left training in sensory for some other time. There were several things that Sensei had left for the back seat. He wanted to focus on their physical abilities and build up their chakra reserves.

Anything not planed for in their training was usually requested by one of them. Like Norumaru wanting to learn the body-flicker technique and Kyoko wanting to learn chakra masking.

Kou didn't really mind that he was forced to learn it with them. They had stuck by his side all through hunter training. Learning to track and trace was not in any way enjoyable.

After Norumaru spoke, no one said anything in response. He didn't deny it either.

He was worried. This was the Chunin exam.

"I'm worried." Norumaru confessed.

It didn't surprise him, Norumaru was usually they worrywart of the team, it was a little annoying on missions. Kou observed the civilian born boy.

Norumaru looked tired. His eye were slower than usual and his hands were wrapped in their usual bandages, like his, to hide the aftereffect of training with swords. Even Kyoko had bought herself a pair of gloves.

He still smelled of disinfectant. Norumaru had always, since the moment they had met, smelled like the hospital. Kou never commented on it, well he did once but he never pushed. It was obviously private, and Kou respected the boy enough to let him have his secretes.

"We have to meet Sensei soon." Kyoko said. She refused to take her gaze from the clouds above.

"How far away is he?" Kou asked. A handy thing it was to have someone who could pinpoint people's place and actions from anywhere in the village.

"He's just gone to the Hokage's office."

"Then he'll likely be headed of the meetup point as soon as he finished with Lord Hokage." Norumaru theorised.

"Well then, let's head out, team three." Kou jumped down from his spot in the tree and stood near his teammates. They nodded back at him once and they all flickered to the An gates of the village.

There were four other Genin teams going with them to the Chunin exam. None of them looked like recent graduates, none of them looked familiar either. Team three was clearly the youngest team going to the exam from Konoha. The youngest Genin on the other teams looked to be a few years older than himself.

In a swirl of leaves, the Jounin arrived. All five of them went to their respective teams to brief their Genin on travel time, distance and formation. It also came with a lecture of rules and regulations that needed to be followed to avoid sparking another war.

They were going to a foreign village after all.

The journey there was weird. The other teams mostly kept to themselves and each other. There was one other Genin who seemed interested in knocking team three's confidence down a peg but after a glare from Kyoko and her freaky crows hanging around her, the boy left them alone quickly.

It was a trip that lasted four long days of jumping through the treetops and sailing across the water between the land of fire and the islands of the land of water.

Their arrival was quiet. The party of Konoha teams passed through the gates of the village.

The hidden mist village was accurately named, even in the early evening of winter, the low lying cloud covered the village in a sheen of white. Tall buildings made of bronze stone towered above. High platforms and foundations supported buildings elevated from the ground and massive stairways led up and twisted about the village. Nestled securely in a small concavity of jagged mountain peaks, the village hidden in the mist was… different.

It was so very different from Konoha and Kou wanted nothing more than to return to his village as the mist crept through his skin and sent a chill to his bone.

"Too late to turn back now." Kyoko, the observant smartass, really needed to learn when not to speak.

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They had been here in the blood Mist village for a grand total of a week and today, of all lovely days, was the first day of the exam.

The exam itself was located in the academy of the village, Kyoko and the rest of her team were aloud some leeway to explore the foreign village. Each team was given an escort that came in the form of a mist Jounin. Because of this exam being the first since the third great war, some precautions were needed to keep things from getting out of hand.

Therefore any adventures around this new village were quite restricted.

The teams were only aloud access to the training grounds and the shopping district. The more residential areas were strictly off limits to any visiting shinobi. That was fine, as far as Kyoko was concerned, she just wanted to get this exam over with and get the hell out of this village.

She wasn't the only one feeling apprehensive about the situation. Kyoko had thought that her teammates would be their usual gallivanting selves but ever since they arrived through the mountain pass, her team was quiet.

Sure they all got quiet on missions but this was different. This was a mission, in one form of the task, but her teams quietness seemed to stem from uneasiness.

She had felt it too.

Long before they came upon the village she could feel it. The cold chakra that clung to the air like thousands of knives made from ice. The mist of the village held intent. Held a warning.

They arrived at the classroom where the exam was being held. Traditionally, the first test was usually a way to test subtle skills that are critical to shinobi missions like information gathering and problem solving under stress.

So, when Kyoko walked in to see long lines of desks separated and decorated with a single sheet on each desk, she wasn't all too surprised. Each team member was given a random number.

Receiving her number, Kyoko went to her allocated seat in the middle right of the group. Kou was put a fair distance away at the far front and Norumaru sat further to her left. Communication wouldn't be an option with her teams placement.

"I want every individual quiet." A voice droned at the front of the room. There stood a man. His eyes immediately caught her attention. Murky blue eyes surrounded by heavy, dark purple bags. An obvious sign of a lack of sleep.

The room fell silent as everyone's attention was captured by the man.

"My name, is Gyobu Hozuki. I am a Jounin of the hidden mist. I am your instructor, for this part of the exam."

"The rules of the exam are, simple. Fill out the worksheet. A very simple worksheet. You must get more than ninety-seven percent correct, if you wish to proceed, to the next test. No talking. Begin."

A rustling of paper sounded throughout the room as examines all flipped their sheets of paper over.

**THE SHINOBI CODE**

Kyoko read the title of the test over and over before skimming through the questions. The entire sheet was blank except for the numbers rolling down the margins of the page. The final number was 78. Kyoko knew what they wanted her to do. To list down all of the shinobi rules she knew of.

But that was far too simple.

This was taught in the academy, every student needed to memorize it. This wasn't Chunin exam material.

Unless that was the point.

To make it easier for their Genin to pass.

But in order to do that, it would be best to give them a handicap. Make it so that somehow it was easier for their Genin to pass and more difficult for foreigners to get to the next exam.

If that was so, then where was the handicap?

Where was the trick?

Kyoko scrolled her eyes over the nearly blank page.

Her eyes fluttered about the room, everyone was already scratching down their answers.

It _was_ far too easy.

That's when the realization kicked her in the gut.

They were in the Hidden mist village. These would be the rules as to their code. Not Konoha. Surely there were some differences in how the shinobi from other villages were conditioned.

Her eyes zeroed in on a Mist Genin seated not too far away from her. If that was the case, she'd need to cheat from someone who was guaranteed to know the answers. She could then pass the information on to her team. The only rules of the exam were to fill out the paper, and possibly no talking.

Kyoko moved her hands under the desk in a comfortable position. The seal for the Shadow style came to her more naturally than breathing at this point.

She could feel her shadow move across the ground towards her target.

With slightly more concentration, she split off two tendrils of the shadow to create three lines. The original continued towards the mist Genin and the other two reached across to her teammates.

She had been itching to try this technique out. Over the last year of training religiously with her father, Kyoko had come up with some unique - mostly useless if she were to be entirely honest – techniques.

Through her shadow, she reversed the control and suddenly her hand moved in quick scratching across the page.

Kyoko watched in fascination as her hand moved to the will of another by her control. One by one, each and every question was filled out. Like she had suspected, there were about twenty three questions that differed form Konoha's standard shinobi rules.

One test down, two to go. Then she could get the hell out of this suffocating village.

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Norumaru didn't like the beach. It was a weird fact. He just didn't like it. Thousands of pieces granulated sand that had the ability to invade every and any spot. Freezing cold water that tasted like salt. Small, hidden stones that were the perfect target to unintentionally kick.

So where else would they be but a beach?

Norumaru stood beside his team. The other two seemed unfazed about their current location. Their Sensei held consent forms from each of them. If someone died, the hidden mist village would claim no responsibility.

This was the Chunin exams after all.

People died often in these events.

Especially in the second round.

The battle royal.

Unlike the previous test, this test was all about ability and situational adaptability. The objective of this test was just as plain and simple than the last and was obviously in the favour of the mist ninja.

"So how are we going to play this?" Kyoko asked from beside him, staring across at the massive spread of water. On an on it went. Miles of open water glinted all the way to the horizon.

It was a race. The first twenty Genin to cross the finish line would be able to participate in the one on one matches.

It was a race across an ocean.

A godforsaken ocean.

For once, Norumaru nearly let himself growl out in displeasure.

"Think there are any islands in between?" Kou asked.

"It's likely. They can't expect Genin to cross an entire ocean." Kyoko said.

The only problem was... "They'll be battlegrounds. Since pieces of land may be few and far in between."

"People with larger masses of chakra have the advantage." Kyoko huffed and glared out at the water.

"Thanks to Sensei, our chakras nothing to sniff at." Kou said. At his words Norumaru and Kyoko looked at him. Sure, compared to most Genin, they had a large mass of chakra. But Kou had the largest chakra pool of the team. Kyoko's was naturally low, despite being shinobi born, and Norumaru himself was civilian born. His chakra was already maxed out. It wouldn't get much bigger than it was.

"We need information." Kyoko said, ignoring Kou's statement.

"Where do you suggest we get such information?" Norumaru asked, preparing himself for one of the girl's outrageous plans.

"Hunt down one of the mist and perform T&I?"

"Yeah. Next idea." Kou said, not feeling very keen on torture and interrogation.

"I could use my crows to scout ahead?" Kyoko offered. Norumaru preferred this plan to her other one, he didn't know if it was because of his civilian heritage but he also didn't have much of a stomach for torture and interrogation.

"Can't you sense people" Kou asked.

"The mist in this place messes with my senses. I can only confidently and accurately sense about a hundred meters away at the moment."

Well that was an essential piece of information that would have been good to know before.

"The Mist?" Norumaru asked, looking out at the patches of low-lying clouds.

"It's thick with chakra and distorts my senses. Like light refracting on hundreds of pieces of ice. Warping the picture. It's hard to explain."

The team went quiet in thought.

"We should carry Kyoko." Kou suggested.

"Excuse me."

"Your opinion is excused. I agree with Kou, we need someone to have a decent amount of chakra should we get into battle."

"Okay fine. But why not one of you?"

"You are smaller and won't take much to carry. Also you have the smallest amount of chakra between us all, it'll be no good if you burn out first and we're ambushed."

The scowl on Kyoko's face was both annoying and amusing. Kyoko flickered her chakra a little and out from the trees flew several crows. Norumaru didn't know how many crows Kyoko kept with her, but they were always around. Ready for whenever she needed.

Norumaru didn't know much about contracts, much less about the crow contract specifically, but the crows never seemed to uncommon themselves like he'd seen with other summoning animals.

He'd asked her about it once but apparently the crows stayed where they wished. If they weren't near her or didn't wish to accompany her someplace then she'd be forced to summon them if ever in need but since they were always near, she hadn't had to use the actual Jutsu since the first time.

Kou kneeled down on the ground with his hands reaching back. With a twitch in her lip Kyoko resigned herself to the plan. Kou stood with Kyoko on his back and the team was ready to go. Now all they waited for was the signal.

The beginning was chaos.

As soon as the signal was given, teams plunged forward. Some teams went straight for the attack. The battles began before anyone even got off the beach.

Kou dashed forward and weaved between stray kunai and watched out for anyone targeting them. Norumaru had already pulled out his trusted tanto. He stuck close behind his two teammates, ready to intercept any direct attacks and act when needed.

Team three was one of three teams that avoided confrontation in the beginning. Saving chakra and progressing forward was the only priority.

Three hours later and the sun was high in the sky and for the first time in his life, Norumaru was glad to see the soot black wings of his squad mates summon. A single crow returned out of the small flock of four Kyoko had sent out to scout ahead for other teams and any potential resting points.

They didn't stop their run across the ocean. They had limited amounts of chakra therefore a limited amount of travel time. Norumaru could feel his chakra level dropping below halfway. They'd need to find a resting place as soon as possible.

The crow swooped down to fly by their side as the group ran along.

"There are three islands ahead. At your current pace, the closest one will be reached in fifty minutes. That is to the northwest. Directly north are the other two land masses. One is approximately two hours away and the other is nearly three hours."

The crow spoke.

The CROW spoke.

While Norumaru was busy trying to comprehend the craziness of shinobi life, his teammates continued to question the crow.

"How many squads did you see?" Kyoko asked like she wasn't chatting with a bird.

"Three squads of three people."

"What? That's all?" Kou asked the bird.

"However," the bird continued, "in total, the flock has counted fifteen pairs and six individuals."

Suddenly, the wonder of a talking bird took the back seat. "That's right, the objective is the first person to reach the finish. Not the first team. The next exam will be the one on one matches."

"Wait, so you sayin' that people have just up an gone solo?" Kou asked him.

Norumaru nodded.

"Or the rest of their team is unable to continue." Kyoko added. There were too many factors.

"The finish line was directly north from the starting point, right? So there'll be a bunch of randoms duking it out on those islands to the north. The northwest is probably a safer option." Kou was a good reference point.

"If you thought of that then there'll be others thinking the same thing." Kyoko smirked at her stab and the boy glared back at her.

"I could drop us in the water at any time."

"Go ahead." She challenged.

"Even if there's a chance there are others," Norumaru cut them off before Kou could ponder the challenge, "it'll probably be the safer option."

"It is a detour." Kyoko said, stating the obvious flaw of heading to the northwest island.

"If there are three teams of three, fifteen pairs and six people alone then we only have forty-five enemies-"

"Wow, nice math."

Norumaru sent an annoyed look to Kou for his unwanted comment. "there's a good chance they'll take each other out if everyone stops on one of those islands."

"Well, it isn't the worst plan."

"Hono, please recon the other island. We need to how many people move on from the islands."

"I see, yes I will go." Hono the crow picked up the beat of its wings and gained both height and speed.

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A loud knocking sounded out in the large office. Hiruzen Sarutobi, third Hokage of the great hidden leaf village, put aside the piece of paper detailing the new accounts for a recent project.

He pulled the air in through his pipe. The wispy smoke sat warm in his lungs. A long trail of cloudy white followed his exhaled breath.

"Come in." Hiruzen said around his pipe.

The door to his office opened and in stepped a boy.

Uchiha Shisui had grown over the last few years and no doubt he would continue to grow. The boy knelt before him.

"You summoned me here, Lord Hokage?" he asked.

"Yes." He took one more drag from his pipe before setting it aside as the boy waited patiently for him to elaborate.

"Due to your recent achievements, actions and a few outlying factors, I have decided to promote you to the rank of Tokubetsu Jounin."

"Special Jounin?" the boys surprise was thick in his voice as he sent him a questioning look.

Hiruzen watched the boy for a moment.

"Recently, you were approached by an elder of the village." Hiruzen knew that his old friend had his eye set on the Uchiha breadwinner for quite some time.

Hiruzen had, at first, stayed out of it.

As was his agreement with Danzo, but recently the boy had taken not only one but two from the most promising crop of Genin, for quite some time, under his wing.

Uchiha Itachi was becoming a perfect piece in this game of war. If that boy fell under the influence and tutelage of Danzo, Hiruzen didn't even want to entertain the possibilities.

And Nara Kyoko. A girl who has placed herself in a very strange situation. As heiress of the Nara clan, her close friendship with both Shisui and Itachi outwardly declared a possible alliance between clans in the future. If both she and Itachi took over their family titles, then both would become political powerhouses. The Nara clan were well respected in the village and the girl had already been twisting in connections. Most particularly, the Hyuga leader had shown great interest in the girls development. She had created many opportunities, it made predicting her more like predicting a wild card.

Currently the girl was at the Chunin exam, offered as some sort of sacrificial lamb. The village needed to send someone with potential to show their power. To be perfectly honest, Hiruzen had wanted to send Itachi. To show off one of the greater clans with one of the most powerful Dojutsu in the village would have been the perfect way to rub salt in the Raikage's wound.

"Elder Danzo has made you an offer, has he not?"

The Uchiha boy gathered his surprise and nodded head. "Yes Lord Hokage."

"Have you given him an answer?"

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

"And?"

"I refused."

Satisfied, Hiruzen picked up his pipe once again. He tapped it overturned on the ash tray, emptying the burnt leaves.

"Good."

"Lord Hokage?"

"If you had accepted his offer, I am unsure how pleasant your future would be. Your future and the future of your young friends."

Shisui stiffened. The boy stood there silently waiting for the Hokage to make the next move.

"Which is why I am now giving you a promotion and with it comes a mission."

"A mission, sir?"

"You are to watch over and train your two young friends as you have up until this moment. Both Itachi and Kyoko are shaping up to be valuable assets to the village. Both are the type to be tempted by the shadows."

Shisui's eyes narrowed in thought. The boy wasn't by any means stupid. Hiruzen waited for Shisui to pick apart the agreement and eventually Shisui nodded his head.

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Shisui shifted his weight.

"Is there something else, Shisui?"

"Ah.. well." He hesitated.

"Go on."

"I just think your wrong on one account, Lord Hokage."

Hiruzen's interest was piqued.

"I don't think they'd be tempted by shadows. But I do think they would find it more comfortable in the darkness."

"Even still, Shisui. Every shinobi needs a light. Something the guides them."

"That's true Lord Hokage. But lights shine brightest in the darkness before the dawn. At least, that's what my old man said once."

As Hiruzen pondered Shisui's words he watched the boy's muscles twitching from his knelt position. He could see how uncomfortable and jittery Shisui was just from the boy's dark eyes glancing at every crack in the floor.

"You've given me something to think about, Shisui. I believe you should let your family know of your promotion now."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Shisui bowed and flickered away, using the very Jutsu he was so famous for.

These were three pieces that Danzo could not have.

His old friend had already taken his student from him, no more would he be sharing his shinobi.

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They reached the island quicker than they had thought, it was now well within sight. Perhaps they had subconsciously picked up the pace at the prospect of a rest. Norumaru didn't care. His legs ached like they did after one of their Sensei's monstrous training sessions. He was almost out of chakra and most of all, he was hungry.

As they approached the island, a cold shiver went up his spine. Like some strange sense that something was wrong. He didn't know how to describe it, but it was like he was surrounded by some strange ominous chakra.

They reached the sand and the weird feeling hit him full force. He shook it off. When he reached the dunes he noticed another strange thing, his teammates were quiet.

Sure they'd been mission level quiet as they crossed the water but usually when they reached some sort of checkpoint, gained some form of relief and comfort they would declare themselves finished and dramatically throw a tantrum or bounce off each other until it escalated into an argument. Norumaru turned to look at them. He instantly knew something was wrong. Their eyes were glazed, they hadn't moved far from the shoreline.

Genjutsu.

He realised too late. As he kept forward he was cut off. Between his team and himself stood girl who looked no older than he was. A single girl with a smile. A smile that sent chills through his blood.

"So, you resisted my Genjutsu. That's some talent you have. What a waste." The girls voice was soft. Norumaru didn't respond as he gripped the handle of his beloved tanto. His shaking rattled the short blade in its sheath. He had fought people before. He'd even killed a few enemy ninja. But never alone, his team had always been there to support him. For that, he was thankful. Thankful enough to find their otherwise annoying personalities somewhat endearing. Now here he was, alone in this fight. His teammates were in danger because of a decision he suggested. He couldn't let them die. Could let their blood be spilled because of him. Norumaru assessed the girl in front of him. The first thing that stood out the most to him was the metal plates headband wrapped around her forehead. The symbol of the hidden cloud village stood prominently in the light of the sun still high in the sky. The girl had caramel skin and hair like chocolate. And shockingly golden eyes. Her eyes were intimidating. His heart was pounding in his chest already.

If Norumaru was being honest, this girl was beautiful. And strangely enough, he craved to know this girls name. More than that, he wanted to know her story. Why she sounded so soft with such a chilling smile and blank, brilliant, eyes.

The girl took a step back, towards his teammates, and Norumaru quickly unsheathed his tanto in a clear threat.

"Your fight is with me first."

She quietly regarded him. "So it seems."

Not a moment later, she shot forward.

The glint of the blade in the sun was all the warning he needed. He parried her attack and lunged back.

The metal clashed and rang with each strike. Each blow being blacked effortlessly.

This girl knew her way around a blade it seemed.

She aimed a strong swipe of her blade at him. His blade was forced back from the block. She launched a kick to his face and followed through with a slice aimed at his throat. He dodged the kick shortly and blocked the blade. He threw his own leg up into the girls unguarded side. She jumped back to dodge and kicked at the sand in the process. He was blinded briefly. He opened his eyes despite the sand stuck to his lashes. Her fingers twisting through hand signs. She sheathed her blade and quickly slammed her hands down on the sand. Norumaru watched and blinked the grains of sand from his eye. The sand around the girls hand crawled up her fist and solidified. The golden of the sand suited her, he noticed uselessly. She launched at him again. Sending an armoured fist at him. He ducked the first blow. Jumped the second. Kept away from the third. Her leg caught his gut and the air left his lungs. Norumaru swiped his tanto for the girls outstretched leg. Thankfully she jumped away before the blade could break her skin. Norumaru took a moment to choke back his saliva and regain his breath. He was at a disadvantaged. She could both attack and defend with that Jutsu of hers but there was no way he could defend against her armoured fists. To make matters worse he was practically out of chakra and he was exhausted form the trip across a forsaken ocean. He needed to release his teammates form their entrapped Genjutsu state. But she wasn't giving him the chance to pass. He couldn't let them get hurt.

"What's your name?" he asked.

For a short while, he got no answer as she stood across from him. Then.

"Amiyu."

Amiyu. It was... cute.

"And yours?" she asked.

"Norumaru."

"Nn."

She lunged for him again. In the smallest of moments, he ducked past her and pushed forward. His arm reached out. Pain exploded in his gut. The fabric of Kyoko's outfit numbed the pain slightly. Kyoko jolted from her place on Kou's back. She tumbled to the ground in a moment of dazed clumsiness. He fell too. His left side sunk slightly into the sand. Norumaru reached out once more and gripped at Kou's ankle. With a small pulse of his remaining chakra, Norumaru heard his friend cuss loudly and stumble back almost stepping on Kyoko at the same time.

"Norumaru?" Kyoko noticed first. She was always more observant than Kou.

"What the hell is happening."

We're under attack Kou, get it together. Norumaru quickly felt the energy leaving him.

"Noru." Kyoko's voice was filled with worry and dread. He knew his wound was bad. When was being impaled with a blade ever a good thing. He was loosing blood too fast. He wanted to roll over onto his back but the sword currently through his gut wasn't going to let that happen.

"Oh shit." Kou said. Looks like he's finally gotten a hold of the situation.

"Pull it out." Norumaru asked.

"Are you insane? That'll kill you!" Kou yelled.

Norumaru really didn't have the energy to argue.

"I'm dead either way." His teammates flinched at his words.

Kyoko reached over to his back and slid the blade out agonizingly slow. He knew she was probably just trying to be gentle but fuck it hurt. It hurt more than he'd ever had the mind to imagine.

When the sword was free Kyoko rolled him onto his back. Norumaru looked across the sand to the girl. She stood there watching them, her posture guarded and her body was shaking. He wondered what was going through her mind. She didn't have anywhere to run as Kou stared her down like a wild beast.

"Noru?" Kyoko asked. He liked the sound of his new nickname. Kyoko's tone was far gentler than he'd ever heard from the girl. His eyes slid to her. He black eyes were glistening with unsheathed tears but behind that was fury.

Selfishly, Norumaru sighed. "Don't make her suffer."

Kyoko's eyes widened and Kou quivering rage both stilled suddenly, probably shocked by his request. Kyoko nodded her head, accepting his wish.

His gaze once again returned to the girl. Like a snake, she was poised and prepared to face her opponent.

Truly, he thought, she was beautiful.

He wondered what those golden eyes would look like if they shined with joy. Of they were dark from sadness or ignited by anger.

His teammates were angry, saddened and frustrated with only one place to unleash the torrent of emotions they're probably feeling. Norumaru had no doubt that the girl would soon join him in death anyway. He wondered if it would be too forward of him to wait for her. A beautiful girl shouldn't travel alone, maybe he could escort her. Maybe she wouldn't mind the company.

What a strange thing death was.


	6. Chapter 6

So, I got impatient again and decided to release this chapter a few days before I intended… So… yay?

The previous chapter has been edited but there aren't any major changes.

**Replies to reviews:**

**Yun800 – **I'm privileged by your comment, having such heartfelt support really turns me into a writing machine. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations!

**NightlyRowenTree – **The time you take to comment is much appreciated! 😊

**Guest – **_**"**__Excpected at least one of her teammates to die during this exam. RIP"_You expected it huh? Well then, challenge accepted. .he.

**sjlovesstories – **Welcome back for another chapter! Your well wishes were very needed. At the time f your comment I was actually coughing all over my laptop with a cold! But thanks to your thoughts, I'm better than ever! Thus, enjoy!

**Ruby Calendula – **I'm glad I have convinced you to have a taste of another style. As the writer, it's a little difficult for me to pinpoint my own style in comparison to others but I think all styles have their own ups and downs. I'm glad you like Kyoko and how the story is going so far! As for romance, that's still a few chapters off before any of the real stuff happens but I am trying to pepper it through until then!

**trblme – **Thank you for your compliments, though I personally think I still have a long way to go, ahaha. Expectations seem to be pretty high so I'll try my best and continue working on this story so long as at least one person is enjoying it!

**[(****－－****)]..zzZ "Cloud-watching" = +200 IQ**

"Do you have any idea why you failed?" Ruma-Sensei asked.

Kyoko stood in the Hokage office with her team. Her team, minus one. Kou hadn't spoken much, not since the final exam. The trip home was painful. Out of all the teams that went, only Kou and Kyoko had made it past the second exam.

"Kou?" Her Sensei addressed the boy in a cold tone. The Hokage sat quietly at his desk, letting their Sensei deal with his team. Or, well, what was left of it.

Kyoko looked at the Inuzuka boy beside her. He stared at the floor.

"Kou. Why did you not receive a promotion from this exam?"

"Because I quit." Kou answered. His eyes never moving from the floor.

"You passed the second round and made it into the final test. Yet, when the fight began, you immediately forfeited." Ruma-Sensei said harshly. "The final exams are a display, an honor even, they are a chance to show the developing strength of the village. I've told you this before, Kou. You knew how important this exam was for the village."

Kou said nothing in the silence Ruma-Sensei gave him to speak.

"Why did you forfeit the tournament?"

"Because it wasn't right."

"Because Norumaru died?"

Kyoko flinched and Kou stiffened.

The air was tense as the two adults watched them.

"Norumaru's death was unfortunate. But you need to remember, you are a shinobi from the Hidden Leaf village. When you wear that Hitai-ate you represent the village as a whole. It isn't just a headband or some noble accessory."

Kyoko agreed. The regulation headband that sat snugly on her neck was no item of nobility. It was a burden. It sat on her neck like the collar it was. She found herself bitterly amused at the ironic placement of it, good job past-self.

"And you Kyoko," Ruma-Sensei switched to his other remaining student, "Do you know what your faults were?"

She knew all too well.

"My faults… were the same as Kou's." Kyoko answered like a good little student.

The room went quiet again. Each person lost in their own world of thought.

"You both gave in to your emotions and let them affect your actions."

She still felt it. The boiling heat in her blood.

"_Let the fifth round of the tournament begin!"_

_Kyoko stood in the arena. On the opposite side of the area stood a Mist Genin. His name was unnecessary to her. She didn't bother to learn it. She'd only given him a brief glance over. Light hair, dark eyes, four tool pouches, average mist attire._

_He had a haughty smirk on his face. Usually, this type of person would have ticked her off just from looking at them, now she felt nothing. An odd numbness that clung to her long before the final test. Like a parasite she didn't care to be rid of._

_Norumaru's death had left her frozen in her emotions. His body sealed in a scroll that sat in her Sensei's kunai pouch. His killer dead. _

_After killing the girl, Kyoko and Kou had wordlessly set out again, headed straight for the finish line. They passed. Kyoko felt no relief at completing the second exam. _

_Only emptiness._

_She felt nothing as she stood with the other participants who passed the exam. _

_Only waiting. _

_For what, however, she didn't know. She just knew she was waiting. For something to finally click into place. For something to realign. For something to fix her current state._

_The month between the second test and the third went by too fast. The Mist took the time to prepare for the spectacle of the tournament. Officials from all over the nations gathered to witness the cream of the crop. Kyoko spent her time in a haze of sleeping and training. Following her Sensei's every order beyond what she thought she was capable of. He was harsher on them now. He worked her till her hand's blead and beyond that. Her gloves were long ruined. She had to wrap her hands every morning or she would wind up running the hilt of her tanto from her bloodied, calloused hands._

_Now here she stood. Her match had begun. The spectators watched from above. Hundreds of people had come to witness the grand exam. They all were seated int the risen seats, looking down at the arena._

_Her opponent stood there, regarding her. Waiting to see who would make the first move. Kyoko had no interest in any of this. _

"_Wow. What's the matter? Piss scared?" Her opponent taunted. _

_Kyoko didn't bother to respond. She found no joy in the annoyance that crossed her opponents face. She felt none of the usual anticipation of a fight._

"_I guess what they say about Konoha is true then. A bunch of weaklings too busy making friends instead of getting stronger." Her opponent was either trying to rile her up or he was just stupid._

"_You're the only remaining contestant from the so-called Great Leaf Village, how does it feel to be the last? Although, I suppose you didn't do it on your own. You probably got here only by chance. Well, it's fortunate for a little girl to get here, you're pretty lucky. Why don't you just do yourself a favor and forfeit like your teammate did?" With the amount of ass that was spilling out of his mouth, Kyoko could easily tell that this boy was indeed trying to get her angry._

_Kyoko said nothing. Did nothing. Waited._

_The Mist boy's eyes slid up to the spectator stands to where her Sensei and Kou stood. _

"_You're missing a teammate. Did you use him as a steppingstone to get here? Heh, na. You Leaf ninja are all about friendships and daisies, aren't you? Hey, do you know what the exam for the academy here is?"_

_He took her silence as permission to keep blabbering. "Here in the Mist, we have to kill all of our classmates before becoming a Genin. Have you ever killed someone?"_

_She had. She'd killed many._

"_Tch. You Leaf ninja are pathetic."_

_Pathetic?_

_Her eyes shifted to the crowd. Her Sensei watched her with a silent look. She couldn't pinpoint what it was in his eyes, but she didn't like it. Her gaze flickered to the crowd. The people all looked at her with eyes of pity and tedium. _

_She looked up to the Kage stand. There sat the Mizukage, Kazekage and the Hokage. The leaders of the cloud and the stone didn't bother to come apparently. _

_The Hokage stared down at her, a cold and calculating look in his eyes sparked an emotion in her. The first she'd felt for nearly a month. _

_Epiphany._

_The emotion of a sudden realization. It raced through her. _

_The Mist boy was right. She was the only remaining contestant left from her village. If she lost now, that was it for the village in this exam. Assuming from the emotions of the crowd, this would have a negative impact on the Leaf. _

_Right now, the third Hokage had given up on her. He was planning his next move for the benefit of the village. A way to raise the mission rate of the village. After this, the renowned strength of the village would take a hit. The village would lose income and weaken. They'd become a target. It was known gossip, how the other villages viewed the current state of affairs of the village. The war, the Kyuubi and the Hidden Cloud issue. They were all blows to the village's image of strength, any more and the village would start to really lose face._

_The Hokage met her gaze. His calculating look morphed into something akin to disappointment or pity. Why? _

_Why was it all suddenly put on her?_

_No. It wasn't sudden. _

_He had chosen the candidates himself. The Hokage had entrusted them. And they all failed. Amusement was the next emotion she felt. A bitter, serrated amusement. _

_She hadn't realized it until now._

_He watched her like a child, and she hated it. She was a shinobi. A sudden feeling of shock filled her as her anger only intensified. _

_Did she hate being a shinobi? She began to question her feelings._

_No, not quite. After everything, she was proud to be a ninja from the Leaf village. _

_Then why?_

_Her opponent charged towards her. His words echoed in her head._

'_Did you use him as a steppingstone to get here?' _

_Yes. She hated herself for it._

'_A bunch of weaklings too busy making friends instead of getting stronger.'_

_They weren't friends. They were a team._

'_Weaklings too busy making friends.'_

_It wasn't weakness that killed him. It was kindness._

'_You Leaf ninja are pathetic.'_

_Why? What makes someone pathetic? Lacking in strength? Being capable of kindness and mercy? Was that so wrong? _

_No. He was wrong. _

_They all were wrong and that's what it meant to be a shinobi. Shinobi were objects meant to be used for all the wrong reasons. A tool, a steppingstone, a sacrifice for the village. In the end, their lives amounted to their potential and contribution to the village._

_It sickened her and set fire to her blood. Her jaw throbbed from the pressure of her teeth grinding together. Kyoko cast one more glance at the Third Hokage. His unchanging expression surged the anger through her. Her anger turned to ice, her mind centered on the moment. Her senses sharpened and her heart picked up as adrenaline kicked in._

_Fine._

_Have it your way._

_For now._

_Kyoko raised her hands, her opponent had halved the distance between them. Kyoko looked down at her hands. Shaking with every pent-up emotion she had suppressed. She buried them down again, only allowing the anger to fill her blood like grains of glass in her veins. _

_Fine._

_She closed her fist and willed her body to still its shaking. The Mist boy was closer now. Just a bit more._

_Her hands snapped into the Nara seal. Her shadow zipped to life and latched onto the Genin's own. Her opponent froze in their spot. His eyes wide as he tried to resist the Jutsu._

"_Congratulations. You've pissed me off some." Kyoko said to her opponent. "Slandering the name of my village, insulting my team, bragging about taking another's life."_

_The boy struggled in the hold of her Jutsu._

"_But I have to thank you, for helping me realize the bigger picture."_

"_W-What? You brat! What is this?!"_

"_Shadow Strangle Jutsu." _

_Her shadow crept up his leg in warped hands, it wrapped around his body and clung to his neck. _

_The arena silently watched as the boy choked._

"_Forfeit or die." She said._

_The boy narrowed his eyes at her but said nothing._

"_Alright then." she tightened her grip in the shadow and a snapping sound filled the arena._

_As the boy fell to the dirt ground of the arena, Kyoko looked up to the Hokage. _

_This is what you wanted, isn't it?_

_The satisfaction in his gaze was her answer._

_Fine, I'll uphold the Leaf's name here and now. You old bastard._

Kyoko didn't want to stand in this bleak office anymore, she just wanted to go home, to her bed. Maybe go hide in the Nara forest for a few days. She just wanted some time to herself. She needed to collect herself.

"Word has spread about how bloody this year's exam was. Rumors of a young Kunoichi from the Leaf have begun to spread as well." The Third Hokage said. "Thanks to your rather ruthless streak, the village can rest easy for a while."

"Rumors?" Ruma-Sensei asked.

"It seems Kyoko has caused quite a stir after brutalizing her opponents."

It's what you wanted so don't go painting me the villainous child, Kyoko thought.

She couldn't help but think of the Third Hokage differently now. Her image was far darker than it was before, and there were far more strings being pulled than she'd thought. She'd caught a glimpse of Sarutobi Hiruzen, the shinobi. Ruthless and calculating. A general and a puppeteer. She had realized, during that match, that he was a man of Masks. A man of many expressions. She disliked him for it, and at the same time, she craved to learn his art for herself.

"What are the rumors saying? It's only been two days…" Her Sensei trailed off.

"There's been talk of a Leaf Genin from the exam who's shadow stitches a web like a spider in wait."

"Wow, people need hobbies." Ruma-Sensei said.

The Hokage shot him a stern look but Ruma-Sensei avoided it.

"Regardless, this time, Team Three will not receive a promotion. You will be given three weeks off to rest and reconnect then you will resume with your usual missions."

Just like that, they were dismissed.

Kyoko flickered out before anyone else could stop her. She stopped on a random building. The shaking resumed in her body.

Now that she was out of that suffocating office, Kyoko didn't want to go home. She didn't want to be alone in her room or hide in the Nara forest. Yet.

She turned in the opposite direction of her home and continued on. Buildings gave way as she crossed into training grounds then into the residential district, she ran atop the tiled walls of the Uchiha district and into the forest behind the complex. She ran through the cool forest until she could hear the rushing of the Naka River. She breached the tree line and stopped to watch as Shisui and Itachi grappled at each other in the lock they were in.

"Ah, your back?" Shisui noticed her first. He released his grip on the lock and Itachi immediately responded, releasing his own grip on their friend. The boys stood up and brushed themselves off.

"When did you get back?" Shisui asked.

Kyoko remembered the day she first met Shisui, almost four years ago.

His eyes were red from tears and he was covered in the grime of training. He had lost his teammates to the war. He had felt this overwhelming flurry of emotion. He was the only person who could understand her, who knew who she was and what she was feeling.

This aching loneliness. This self-hatred.

Kyoko felt it all bubbling up in her throat. It suffocated her to hold it in. Her breath rapidly escaped her and she drew in another. The forest and the river clung to the air. She could taste it on her trembling breath.

"Kyoko?" Itachi asked.

Kyoko broke. Her trembling increased tenfold and the tears she had been holding back so desperately finally escaped. Shisui was there the next second, holding on to her shoulders to keep her steady. Kyoko collapsed against him, his warm earthy scent both calmed her and coaxed the wails from her throat.

"He died, Shisui." Her words burnt her throat. "My teammate died because I was too weak to break from a Genjutsu. I couldn't even sense it!"

Shisui's hand rested on her back as he pulled her to the ground. Kyoko clung to him with every sob that escaped. They sat with her as she rid herself of all the tears she built up.

"Shisui-Nii, teach me." Her voice was hoarse, and her throat was dry. "Please, I don't want anyone else killed because of me."

"Mm. It'll be okay now."

**[(****－－****)]..zzZ "Cloud-watching" = +200 IQ**

One year passed.

A lot happened. But at the same time, nothing happened. Life went on as usual.

Kyoko and Itachi both celebrated their eighth birthdays on missions, Sasuke's birthday was a grand affair for the clan, the young Uchiha was now four. Lord Fugaku would begin his youngest son's training. Only basic things, unless Sasuke showed potential. Shisui dearly hoped that Sasuke was nothing like his brother. Shisui loved Itachi like the boy was his own brother but Itachi hadn't had much of a childhood. The clan heir was far too mature to have enjoyed it anyway.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was a sweet little thing. Always running around the compound in that innocent way that only a child could. And Sasuke idolized Itachi. Shisui loved seeing the brothers together. It always reminded him of what was most important. Shisui only wished to protect this small amount of innocence. If he could do that, he could endure any hardship.

"Shisui, could you help your father back into bed please." His mother asked.

"Sure thing, Mom." Shisui smiled at his mother and walked over to the table where his father sat. His father stared blankly at the teacup that rested on the smooth wooden tabletop.

Shisui reached out and grasped his father's arm. He wrapped the arm across the back of his shoulders and pulled his father up to his one good leg. The other leg had been long lost in the last great war.

Shisui guided his father through the tatami floored house and into his parent's bedroom. Shisui lowered his father onto the bed and helped him get comfortable.

"Oi." His father's voice startled Shisui down to the bone. It wasn't often that the older man spoke. Shisui looked into his father's grey eyes, "Who are you, boy?"

It was shock that hit him first. Then disbelief. Then realization.

Shisui had never been awfully close to his father, not since the sickness had set into the man after having lost a leg. It hadn't been getting better but Shisui had never thought that his father would forget him. His son.

"I'm Shisui. Uchiha Shisui." He answered.

His father said nothing in return. There was no sign of recognition.

Shisui left the room quietly and slid the paper door closed. Shisui resumed his potion at the table where his cooling cup of tea sat. He looked out at the darkness of the morning, the sun would be rising soon. It's going to be sunny today, he thought. And warm. A normal day in the Konoha, and yet…

"I think your father's finally getting better." His mother said from the kitchen bench, her smile reminded him of the daylight. Warm and familiar.

"Hm. Let's all go out for dinner when he's well enough."

Her light laughter sounded throughout the home. Her genuine happiness weighed heavily on his heart. "That's a lovely idea, Shisui. I think he would like that very much."

"Yeah."

"Do you have a mission today?" She asked him.

"Na, just training."

"You're such a good son. If it weren't for you, well, I don't know where we'd be without you. I do feel bad for making you work so hard, though. You never have any time to yourself, I fear you'll never find yourself a girlfriend."

Shisui laughed, "I don't need a girlfriend yet, mom."

"What? Of course, you do!"

"Ehhh?"

"Well, I guess you're still young…"

He snickered at her and downed the rest of his warm tea. "I'm heading off now."

"Have a good day!"

Shisui closed the door to his home and walked down the cobbled pathway of the Uchiha complex.

His father was getting worse. His mother was in denial and he could do nothing but watch as life unfolded.

He had seen people die before. Aside for on missions, of course. His grandparents were the first he had seen go, they had left this world peacefully. Now it was his father's turn. The man had taught him so much without actively teaching him. Shisui had developed his father's sense of warfare and comradery. Shisui had learnt from his early days about the hypocrisy of the Uchiha clan. About the importance of the village. About the Will of Fire.

"Shisui."

Itachi causally stood against the wall of the compound. Decked out in his usual shinobi attire and sporting a few more kunai pouches than usual. Shisui raised a hand in greeting.

"Itachi, you've got a mission today?"

"Yeah, I'm about to head off."

"Oh? What's it today then?"

"An escorting."

"Hm." Itachi was still technically a Genin, even though his skills far surpassed that of most Chunin. So, the boy was stuck on D-ranked and C-ranked missions.

"So, you'll be back later then?"

"Most likely. In the evening."

"Well, have a good trip then. Try not to get too bored." Shisui snickered.

"Not funny." Itachi rolled his eyes and strolled off towards the entrance of the compound and into the village.

Shisui slowly made his way to the usual spot. There he spent the next eight hours on his own training, waiting for Kyoko to show up.

If Kyoko showed up, that was.

She might also have a mission today. She was also a Genin. Still.

According to what she'd told him, their Sensei wouldn't let them take on any missions above C-ranked and not once did they ever discuss the topic of the Chunin exams.

A small figure from the corner of his eye stood out. As if his thoughts had summoned her.

"How long have you been there, exactly?' Shisui asked as he wiped the sweat from his brow before it could fall into his eye.

"Exactly? About a minute and fifty-three seconds." Kyoko said. Smartass.

Shisui stretched out his aching limbs and gestured for her to move closer. His eyes pulsed with chakra. With a small grin, Shisui held out a kunai. "Up for a round or two?"

Kyoko watched him, the look in her eye was all he needed as he prepared himself.

With a sudden burst of chakra, she vanished from her place.

His Sharingan eyes followed her deftly as she paused right in front of him. Shisui dodged a swipe of her leg and aimed a punch for her. She blocked and weaved her agile body beneath him.

A quick jab in the back of his knee sent him to the ground. Shisui caught himself before he reached the ground. With a flick of his good leg, Shisui sprung back, aiming a kick in the process.

Kyoko stayed on his heels. He caught her eye, she paused for less than a second before moving on. She broke through his Genjutsu easily and continued the advance on him. She struck out again and Shisui danced around her blows with grace and precision.

They'd spared so many times, he'd practically taught her most of her moves, Shisui would be a little disappointed if he couldn't predict her attacks better than breathing. The problem when sparing with Kyoko was the unpredictability of her strategies. She liked using everything and anything to her disposal.

Shisui threw a kunai between them in a brief second between strikes. His Sharingan caught sight of her eyes widening at the sound of a quick sizzle. Shisui took her moment of surprise to jump back and Kyoko quickly mirrored him. Bouncing away from the blast radius.

The force of the explosion sent him back further than he thought but that was fine. The more distance the better. His hands weaved through long mastered hand signs. He took a breath, the chakra sat like magma in a dragon's stomach. It bubbled and pulled inside him. Shisui moved it, coaxed it up and guided it out from his mouth. The stream of fire cut through the cloud of smoke that masked Shisui from his opponent. The ball of fire sent waves of hot wind against him. Shisui let the chakra stop and cool inside him. The ball of scorching flame died, leaving nothing but a creator in its wake.

Shisui's Sharingan scanned the tree line. There was no sign of Kyoko. His Sharingan peered through the trees.

Four, no five clones hid in the darkness.

From the shade of the trees, three dark lines moved toward him. Shisui jumped back and quickly sprung from one place to another, never letting the twisting shadows on the ground touch his own.

She pushed him back to the edge of the area. Shisui weaved through the signs again. He quickly gathered up the chakra and blew out another massive fireball. The light from the fire vanished the shadows in pursuit of him. Shisui cut off the Jutsu quickly, his chakra now falling just below half. Using the Sharingan in battle was draining on his chakra reserves. Three of Kyoko's clones rushed him, he dispelled them with sharp attacks. The other two clones rushed in, both threw a punch toward him. Shisui caught a glimpse of paper that glowed with chakra.

"Shit!" Shisui yelled out in surprise as the clones vanished, leaving nothing but the paper in the air. It glowed. Without hesitating a moment, Shisui substituted himself with a log from the nearby forest.

Shisui sensed the chakra before his Sharingan caught it. In the darkness of the forest, the shadow would have been invisible to any other's eye. But his Sharingan painted the world red, he could see the shadow moving for him, its chakra bright and thick. Shisui quickly flickered away from Kyoko's shadow Jutsu, leaving a clone behind him as a decoy.

He layered three Genjutsu on the clone and the area around himself to disrupt Kyoko's sensor abilities. It wouldn't last long, she would pick through them quickly.

Shisui unsheathed his tanto.

He leapt for Kyoko as his clone used the body flicker Jutsu around her. Shisui joined his clone, blending in with the afterimages left behind.

Kyoko's eyes snapped to him and followed. Damn, she broke the Genjutsu.

His clone launched at her from behind. Kyoko grabbed at the hilt of her blade and drew it from its sheath, slashing across the chest of the clone in the single motion.

Shisui stood on guard with his tanto ready.

His Sharingan spun and caught every detail. Kyoko's eyes shone with their feral light as they would in any fight.

She leapt at him, bringing her blade down in a smooth strike. Shisui parried and countered. His blade bounced off of her block and he struck again. She thwarted every attack with her sword and countered every opportunity he gave her.

Her quick speed matched his own. Her movements were precise and left no room for error. She moved like a well-oiled machine.

He was proud of her.

Four years.

Four years he had been training them, watching them grow. Watching them get stronger.

They continued trading attacks for a few minutes longer. Cavorting around each other and the blades in the fight. Shisui was beginning to get low on his chakra, he'd had enough training for the day anyway, it was time to end it.

Kyoko, on the other hand, seemed full of energy as she continued to play around in their spar. A quick flash of his Sharingan and a moment's hesitation was all he needed. In the split second she froze in the Genjutsu, Shisui moved. His lightning-fast speed was his greatest asset. He reappeared behind Kyoko and held his blade to her throat.

"Tch."

Shisui smiled at the sound of her defeat and lowered his blade.

"That was good." Shisui sheathed his blade on his back and stretched his arm out.

"Your body flicker is so annoying."

His body-flicker technique was his best Jutsu. It was a basic Jutsu that almost every ninja knew, but Shisui had taken its mastery to another level. Years and years of training on it alone until he could out move every ninja in the village. He was renowned for a reason; he was that good. He'd even scared off a few Mist Jounin once. His name in the bingo book came with a 'Do Not Engage' label right next to it.

"You've improved a lot." Shisui said.

Kyoko sighed. "It's not enough."

"Aiming to get stronger is good and everything but don't let it swallow you up."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"When was the last time you did something with your family?"

Kyoko's eyes narrowed at him. She analyzed him with careful eyes. "Is something wrong, Shisui? You've been off today."

Between Kyoko and Itachi, there wasn't much he could keep to himself.

"Shisui?"

Shisui sighed and looked up at the trees to avoid her worried gaze. "You should spend more time with your family. Take a day off from training every once in a while."

"…Okay."

A second later, Kyoko froze. Her eyes widened and her breath stopped. Shisui intuitively knew something was off.

"What is it?"

Kyoko snapped back to reality quickly. Her eyes filled with worry and fear. She turned on her foot and disappeared into the forest, towards the village. Shisui took off after her. Not once hesitating after seeing such an expression on her face.

Shisui caught up to Kyoko and ran beside her. They were going too fast to communicate. They travelled at top speed straight towards the Hokage office. Dread started to set in after seeing their destination.

Kyoko rushed past the guards and up the stairs. She burst into the office of the Hokage. Shisui followed in after her.

The Hokage sat at his desk, the files in his hands forgotten as he looked to the pair of them. A squad of Anbu, the top shinobi of the village, knelt in front of the desk. Shisui had a feeling that they'd just burst in on a mission report from the Anbu.

"What is the meaning of this."

"Something's wrong with Itachi's team!" Kyoko burst out.

"What?" The question was asked by both the Hokage and Shisui.

"They're about four hours walk north of the village."

The Hokage regarded her for a brief moment.

"One of them's dead." Kyoko said quietly. Her focus elsewhere, assessing the situation.

"Go!" The Third Hokage ordered the Anbu squad in the room. They vanished in a burst of chakra.

"Kyoko, describe the situation in more detail."

"An unknown approached Itachi's group and cast a Genjutsu. It's hazy and hard to sense through at this distance. But it's as good as Shisui's Genjutsu." That meant trouble, he had the strongest arsenal of Genjutsu in the village and he wasn't bragging about that either.

"Can you pick through it?" Shisui asked.

"I'm trying."

Her brows furrowed and she begun to sweat.

"There are eight… no. There are twelve people and one dead plus the unknown. Itachi seems to be the only one free of the Genjutsu, the deceased had also resisted the Genjutsu before engaging. Itachi hasn't moved yet."

"How does he feel?" Shisui asked. He knew she could tell their emotions from their chakra.

"He's… terrified. And resolute."

"What's the ETA of the Anbu squad?" Lord Third asked.

"Sixty-three seconds."

"Keep reporting the situation." He ordered.

"They're talking. Itachi and the unknown."

"Give me details on the unknown."

"He's… His chakra is dark, cold almost. And morphed, like… Like two different doughs mixed together. It's weird... They're amused by Itachi."

"Amused?" Shisui asked.

"Like a cat watching the koi. Ah, the unknown is approaching Itachi." She went silent, holding her breath for a moment. "He stopped, I think they've sensed the Anbu squad."

A breath later and Kyoko collapsed to the floor. "He's gone."

"Just like that?" The Hokage asked.

Kyoko nodded. "I can't sense him anymore, it's like he just vanished."

"Continue on the situation."

Kyoko stared down at the floor of the office, but her eyes were elsewhere. "The Anbu have arrived and are releasing everyone from the Genjutsu. Itachi's passed out."

"Only one dead? Do you know who?"

She did know. She'd felt his chakra whenever Itachi was on missions or team training. Even before that, at the academy. "Itachi's teammate. The boy." She'd forgotten his name.

The Hokage sighed in relief.

"Lord Hokage? Who was Team Two escorting? Their chakras are-"

"That's not important right now. Keep focusing on the situation, Itachi can tell you himself."

"Yes, Lord Hokage."

Shisui swore he'd lost years from his life just from the last five minutes. Today sucked.

**[(****－－****)]..zzZ "Cloud-watching" = +200 IQ**

"I'm so glad you've decided to take some time off from training." Her mother announced at the kitchen table. Kyoko sipped quietly at her miso soup. Her mother had been saying the same thing for the last two days.

Kyoko knew her mother was happy with her renewed dedication to her family. She didn't like to admit, but recently, she had begun to feel like a stranger in her own home. She was usually home for dinner and a few hours sleep. That added up to a total of about six hours at home and maybe an hour spent with her family.

"Kyoko." Her father addressed her. Kyoko looked up from her breakfast to her father. "It's good that you're keeping up with your training and missions," Kyoko could already hear the 'but' in this sentence.

"But remember," there it was, "you also have an obligation as the heiress of the Nara clan."

Kyoko said nothing. She had been avoiding this subject with a ten-foot pole. The fourth shogi tournament was to be held in the next few months. So far, she had avoided being tied down to the Nara clan by skill. She was undefeated in the tournament. Her ability at the bothersome game far surpassed those of her clan. The only man that could beat her, every single time, was her father. And Kyoko was fine with that.

Deep down inside, she didn't even really want to surpass him in Shogi.

The table sat through a tense silence as Kyoko refused to acknowledge the topic.

"Shikamaru." Kyoko said, turning to her younger brother. His eyes shifted between their parents and herself.

"Yeah?"

"Let's go see what Choji's up to today, yeah?"

Shikamaru blinked in surprise and a small grin twitched on his face. "Yeah."

Kyoko tidied up after both herself and Shikamaru as the boy slid from the table and headed for his room.

"Kyoko." Her father's voice stopped her again. She dried her hands on the kitchen cloth and turned to him. "You cannot run from this forever. The clan is getting restless. The traction you had as a Genin distracted them at first but now that your progress has slowed, they are getting fidgety about the clan heir once again."

Her father stared her in the eye. His brows furrowed in their natural slant. "So, what are you going to do about it?" He asked.

Kyoko felt some of the tension fall from her. Her father had always been on her side. The reassurance bought a small smile to her face.

"I don't have to avoid it forever, Pa. Just a few more years." He regarded her with curious eyes, "Just until Shikamaru gets a little older."

"So that's your plan."

"Opinions?"

Her father sighed and slumped back in his chair, "Not bad." He smirked.

Kyoko grinned and left the dining area, heading to the front door. "Hurry up, Shikamaru!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!"

The door closed behind them as she and Shikamaru walked down the street.

"Hey, Sis." Shikamaru started, "How come you and Dad keep getting into these bothersome arguments? They aren't even proper arguments."

"I wonder…" Kyoko trailed off and smothered her chuckle when Shikamaru clicked his teeth.

"Then what about Shogi?" He asked.

"What about it?"

"Dad's been trying to teach me how to play but it's just too bothersome."

"He'll lay off when he sees you're not interested, too much trouble for him if he keeps trying to force you into it."

"Is it fun for you?"

"What, Shogi?" She asked and Shikamaru nodded. Kyoko thought for a while, watching the dirt of the ground pass by. "It used to be."

"Eh? You mean it isn't anymore?"

"Yeah, the first time I picked up a Shoji piece was the first day that Pa actually acknowledged me. I would practice and practice every moment I could. I ran around the village, looking for people to play against. Just so I could get better."

"Really?" Shikamaru looked at her with disbelieving eyes.

"I had my first tournament when I was four. I think that was the height of my enjoyment for Shogi. But after that, I got better and better until it became…"

"A drag?" Shikamaru finished and Kyoko burst out laughing.

"Yeah, it was a total drag. The game had lost its thrill and then I was introduced to something better."

Shikamaru raised an interested eyebrow, "Which was...?"

"A fight." Kyoko grinned.

"Sis… your weird." Shikamaru shook his head before pausing in thought. "Introduced? By who?"

Pride gathered in her for her little brother, he caught on to every piece of information given to him. He was like a sponge. Of course, that was limited to what he was interested in. Anything else was in one ear and out the other.

"My friend."

"You have friends?" He eyed her sideways. Kyoko shot him an appalled look and Shikamaru raised his hands in surrender.

"Wow, I feel betrayed that you think so poorly of me, Shika." Kyoko said dramatically with a hand over her chest, her brother rolled his eyes at her. "Of course I have friends. Just like you have Choji, I have Itachi and Shisui."

"There's two of them?"

"Oi." Kyoko clipped the back of Shikamaru's head with her hand.

"Tch." Shikamaru rubbed at the back of his head, "Agh, why are women so violent."

"Hey, you deserved that. This family doesn't need two smartasses."

"Pfft, yeah. I don't know if Mom could handle it." Shikamaru joked. "So, what are they like?"

"Hm?"

"You're friends."

"Ah, well… They're Uchiha, so… yeah."

"What? That tells me nothing."

"Hmmm, I guess you'd have to meet one to understand what I'm talking about."

"Sis. I'm sure that even if I do meet an Uchiha, I still wouldn't understand."

"Ha, probably."

Shikamaru sighed, "You're always saying stuff that confuses me, Sis."

"That's not difficult."

"Oi." Kyoko laughed at Shikamaru's frowning face. Kyoko rubbed the top of her brother's head with the edge of her knuckles and knelt down to the ground. "I'm just messing with you. Come on, let's take the quick way there."

Shikamaru kept scowling at her as he climbed onto her back. With a quiet chuckle, Kyoko took to the rooftops of the village.

They arrived at the Akimichi estate in a fraction of the time. Shikamaru rang the fancy doorbell and they waited for the door to be opened.

"Well look who it is!" Choza said heartily as he opened the door wide and ushered them into the building. "You two just missed breakfast!"

Kyoko smiled and raised her hand, "It's alright, Uncle Choza, we already ate."

"Well that's all right then. Tea?"

"Sure." Kyoko replied and Shikamaru fidgeted beside her.

Choza seemed to notice Shikamaru's impatience and smiled. "Choji's in his room, Shikamaru."

"Ah, Thanks." Her brother took off for the staircase.

Kyoko followed Choza into the dining room of their home. The Akimichi were one of the wealthier clans in the entire village. Because of that, the head of the clan lived in a beautiful and modern house. Much unlike her home, which was slightly more traditional.

"So, what brings you here, Kyoko? It feels like quite a while has passed since you've come to visit." Choza asked as he set a glass of green tea and a bowl of chips on the polished wooden table.

"Sorry I don't visit more often." She was sorry, not only to him but to all the people she had neglected over the last year.

Choza rumbled his deep laugh, "Don't sweat it, Kyoko." He reassured as he took his seat opposite from her.

"How is your training going?" Choza asked.

Kyoko fought off the frown and sighed. "Everything's going good."

"And yet you sound troubled."

"Just something Pa said."

"Something Shikaku said?" He questioned.

"That I've lost traction."

Choza went quiet for a moment as he drank from his cup. "You caused quite a stir last year."

Kyoko paused as she went for her cup, "You mean the Chunin exams?"

Choza gently placed his tea back on the table and picked a chip from the bowl. "After the initial ruckus, several of the council members questioned the Hokage about your lack of promotion. You've stood out to the higher brass and they developed some high expectations of you."

"But I've been silent for mostly a year."

"Yes, their interest is moving on."

"I see." Now that the interest of whoever they were is passing on, the other members of the clan had regained their voice and started pushing on her father again. Which led him to spur him on. Kyoko felt a little annoyed at her father. Why couldn't he just communicate normally with her?

"Can I ask a question, Kyoko?" Choza snapped her from her thoughts and pushed the bowl of chips towards her.

She took one, "Sure." And crunched away on the salty snack.

"What is your goal for the future?"

Her goal?

Kyoko took another chip and thought. She savored the salty flavored chip and the bitterness of the tea.

Her goal had always been to get stronger. At first, it had been out of admiration of Itachi's dream. Then it was because she wanted to be strong enough to stand on equal ground of her hero.

And now?

Now she didn't know.

She still wanted to help Itachi in his mad goal to rid the shinobi world of war. She still wanted to be as strong, reliable and noble as the Fourth Hokage. But why did it feel like something was missing?

"My goal, for the moment, is to get stronger." As it had always been.

"I see."

"Ah!" A voice from the entrance of the room caught their attention, "It's Kyoko-Nee!" Choji exclaimed from across the kitchen.

Kyoko waved at her brother's best friend from the table. "Hey Choji." She greeted.

"Sis, me and Choji are going down to the shop to grab some snacks. We'll probably just go to the park after." Shikamaru said from beside Choji, his hands shoved in their pockets and his eyes avoiding hers.

Ditching your sister, huh. "Okay, just make sure you're home before Ma starts on dinner."

"Yeah, sure." And with that, the two trailed off down the hallway of the Akimichi home.

"I think I'll take my leave too, Uncle Choza."

He smiled at her and nodded. "Make sure to stop by again."

"I will."

**[(****－－****)]..zzZ "Cloud-watching" = +200 IQ**

"Ah! It's autumn! Why is it so hot?" Kyoko wined from behind him.

Itachi snickered at her. It was hot. He could feel the sweat dripping down the back of his neck and leaving a trail down his spine.

"We're almost there." He assured her.

"I don't even know where 'there' is, Itachi."

He shook his head at her. It was her fault for not asking any questions when he asked her to join him.

"You just randomly showed up at my house, before I even woke up, and told me to pack up for a mission. I thought it was serious for a moment! But noooo. Someone just wanted to go camping." Itachi let her wine on and on through their journey. It was sort of nice, weirdly enough, and amusing.

As trees gave way to grassy lands, Itachi stopped at the top of the tree lined hill.

"There it is." He told her as he looked down into the valley. His eyes flickered about the area, talking note of the mountain ridge that he was familiar with and using it to reference his location. It looked a little different up close, but it was the very same line of land that was visible from the Uchiha district.

Of course, it was almost impossible for the two of them to be lost. Not with Kyoko being a sensor type ninja.

"Woah." She said, her voice filled with a child-like amazement. "What is this place?" She asked.

"A temple."

"You mean the ruins of a temple. Doesn't look like there's much left."

She was right. From their viewpoint, looking down at the crumbling stones and overgrown nature, Itachi could tell that no one had been here for a long time.

"Let's go down." Kyoko said eagerly. Her curiosity in full drive as she pushed through the long grass.

Itachi adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and followed after her.

"What do you think this place was?" She asked him, eyes scanning the massive stone remains of what appeared to be a wall. "Wait. How did you even know about this place?"

"It was in one of the older records of the Uchiha clan."

"Yeah? So, what did they say about this place?"

"It belonged to the Uzumaki clan."

"Uzumaki clan? Like the wife of the First Hokage? Uzumaki Mito, I think…"

"Yeah."

There weren't many texts on the Uzumaki clan or the wife of the first Hokage but that didn't mean they didn't exist. While there weren't any official documents about the Uzumaki and its village, small snippets of their stories could be found intertwined in others. The Uzumaki were mentioned several times in relation to the Senju clan in the scrolls and records of his clan.

"Wasn't the Uzumaki clan an ally of the Leaf? In the early days?" Like himself, Kyoko was a well-read person. Sharing his ideal image of balance in a shinobi, brain and brawn in equal amounts. All those months in the academy were spent reading material far more advanced and entirely unrelated to the academy's materials.

"They were an ally, even established a village of their own."

"Whirlpool, right?"

"Mm. But it was destroyed long ago."

They walked slowly amongst the rubble. Looking around with sharp eyes, for anything that would pick at their interest.

"Then, if this was a temple of the Uzumaki, the caretakers would have been Uzumaki too, right? With their village gone, there would have been no one to continue to take care of the place."

"It was probably abandoned. There's no sign of a battle."

Itachi caught sight of a stone wall that seemed slightly out of place from the rest. The stone type was similar, but it didn't align with any of the others. Intrigued, he approached it.

"There's writing here." He said. Kyoko walked over and came to a stop beside him.

"So there is. Do you think it's some sort of mural?" She asked as they inspected the inscriptions.

"The harnessing of life within gives insight to…" Kyoko paused in her reading as the words stopped, broken from the stone and lost amongst the other piles of rubble. "Connecting, understanding. Ninshu."

"Of the Six paths, teachings left not forgotten by his students across the lands. The duty of our decedents is left for them to explore and encourage the teachings of their…" Itachi continued, "Spirit, their energies intertwine like whirlpools. Showing people of a wider understanding, pathing the way to peace."

"It's a scripture." Kyoko said, she reached out and brushed her fingers over the rock. Itachi's hand rose with a will of its own. He reached out towards the writing, peering at the words from between his fingers. Something about it resonated within himself.

"Ninshu. It says." Kyoko turned to him, "What do you think that is? I've never heard of it before."

"I'm not sure." He dropped his hand to the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "Let's carry on. It's going to get dark in a few hours."

With Kyoko agreeing, they continued to make their way deeper into the ruins until they stopped at the rotting building.

"This must be the temple."

The wooden building was large in comparison to their short height. The first stair that led into the building was as high as his knee. The building was elevated highly off the ground. He could probably walk underneath it with Kyoko standing on his shoulders and she'd still have to struggle to reach the floor of the building. Its foundations were made of large, sturdy logs and the base looked strong enough. Only the roof of the building looked to be in rough shape.

"It's bigger than the shrine in the Nara forest." Kyoko stared up at the building.

This shrine was similar to the Uchiha's Naka shrine in size, but it was styled entirely different. But there were some similarities between them. On the large square at the front of the building, instead of the Uchiha fan he was used to seeing on the Naka Shrine, was the swirling symbol of the Uzumaki.

"Let's have a look inside, then we'll find a place to set up camp." Itachi said as he raised his leg to step up the high stairs. When the wood didn't bend or give, Itachi continued his climb up. Kyoko's steps were silent behind him.

Inside the building it smelled like old wood and dust. But other than that, it was mostly empty. Itachi walked around the large room, running his fingers over the crumbling wood. It wasn't a safe building, by any means, but there was no real danger. They were ninja after all.

"Hey, Itachi!" Kyoko called from down the back of the building. "Look at this."

Curious, he passed through the doorway and followed it into another room. A wall, one that remained undamaged by time, stretched beneath three swirling symbols of the Uzumaki. On the wall hung nine rows of three masks. Each of the twenty-seven masks were unique in some way but all of them resembled Oni masks.

"I wonder what they are." Kyoko questioned out loud.

"They look like demon masks."

"Yeah, but what purpose do they have here? Just what type of god did this shrine worship?" Itachi didn't have an answer to her question.

"Let's find a place to make camp for the night."

Silently, they made their way back out of the building and through what could have once been a courtyard but now was nothing more than overgrown grass.

They made their camp not far from the shrine. Building a fire and roasting the game they hunted. It was during dinner that Kyoko decided to question him again.

"So why did you drag me out here?" She asked.

Itachi watched the crackling of the fire. "Because…"

"Well, a while ago, Shisui asked me to join him on his Jounin training exercise because it required a Genin. I learnt a lot from him. The task was to track down a fugitive, so I mostly learnt about tracking. And Shisui said something that got me thinking."

Itachi looked up to Kyoko, she was relaxed against a rock she had claimed for herself, opposite the fire. Watching him quietly. "He said that tracking skills are important when trying to capture a fugitive, but so is understanding how they think. And how because I'm a so-called genius, I've never tried to understand the feelings of someone who isn't a genius."

"So you wanted to explore this place because…?" She trailed off, leaving the sentence open for him to finish.

"I read about the Uzumaki clan in the records of the Uchiha. They were a disconnected clan, they wanted nothing to do with the wars. Or so it said."

"You wanted to understand them. And their form of peace."

He nodded.

"And you brought me along because… people also call me a genius? Because we're similar, it'd be easier to understand each other."

"Basically."

"I see."

Kyoko sat up and reached over for a rabbit, roasted over the orange flames of the fire. She picked at the meat from the bone and chewed on it quietly.

It's just nice to share a meal with someone you feel at ease with. Shisui had also said. Itachi agreed.

"You know, campfires are usually prohibited, right?" Itachi chuckled at her words, so similar to his own. He picked up his own dinner and took a bite from it. Wincing at the heat of the skinned meat.

"What do you think about that scripture?" Kyoko asked with her mouth full. Honestly, people wouldn't guess she was an heiress with the mannerisms she used when she was comfortable.

"I'm not sure. It sounded like a teaching of some type of Ninjutsu." He recalled the words carved into the stone. "Ninshu, it was called."

"It also talked about energies intertwining and the path to peace." She pulled more meat from the bone and popped it into her mouth, looking happy with her meal. "Do you think it was talking about chakra?"

"If it's related to Ninjutsu, then most likely, I'd say."

"Intertwining energies… Do you think it's possible to do that with chakra?"

"What?" Itachi had no idea what she meant by that.

"What do you think happens when people's chakra mix?"

"Is that even possible?" He asked.

"Probably not." Kyoko thought about it for a moment. "But maybe they can connect."

"What are you thinking?"

"Well, there are Jutsu that affect people's chakra, right? Genjustu uses chakra to disturb the flow of another person's chakra, the Yamanaka Jutsu lets the user take over their victim's mind and body through chakra and medical Ninjutsu is done by giving chakra to another or something like that." Kyoko threw the inedible remains for her food into the fire. "Chakra can do crazy things. So, what would happen if people could connect to each other on a spiritual level through chakra?"

"You come up with some of the wildest thoughts."

Kyoko looked at him in surprise. Her eyes shifted to the side and a slightly troubled look crossed her face. Itachi internally winced, he didn't mean to offend her. In fact, that craziness was the key to her unpredictability.

"Let's try it." He said.

Her gaze snapped back to him, her eyes wide and her mouth curled up into a small grin. She crawled around the fire to sit beside him and held out her hand. Itachi rose an eyebrow at her in question but she just shrugged it off.

"Unless you have a better idea?"

"No, not really." He placed his hand in hers. It was warm, like he remembered Shisui's being all those years ago. Her hand was smaller than his own, Itachi found himself wondering how she held kunai at all. He then remembered how awful she had been with the knives at first. He had to resist smirking at the thought.

"Let's just try molding chakra first."

Doing as suggested, Itachi slowly bought his chakra into his palms and through his fingers. Only a little amount at first. He could feel her chakra building up. Their chakra grated against each other. Itachi pushed his chakra out a bit more. With a sharp stinging, they snatched their hands back.

"Ouch." Kyoko said as she flicked her hand about. Probably in an attempt to rid her hand of the tingling feeling left behind.

Itachi stared at his hand. It sort of felt like it was static, like two weak opposite magnets that had been slammed together. In a strange way it felt similar to when he first started tree walking, yet entirely not.

"Let's try again." He said.

"Sure."

Again, and again, with each time ending in a new form of failure.

"Again." She insisted, glaring at her own outstretched hand.

He gave her his hand, still slightly numb from the last attempt. Kyoko closed her eyes and went quiet, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

Itachi gathered up his chakra in his hand and kept it thrumming low as he waited for her. When she didn't gather up her chakra in response, Itachi found himself growing slightly confused. They stayed like that for several minutes before Itachi felt her chakra. The tiniest amounts slithered in his hand and shifted against his own. He lowered the amount of his chakra to match her own.

"Don't."

He paused at her word, watched her for a quick moment in confusion then gathered up his chakra again. Slowly, Kyoko molded more. And a little more. Then, all of a sudden, the shifting of her chakra stopped.

"What?" Itachi asked himself, his eyes widened, and Kyoko's dark orbs snapped open. An expression of triumph danced across her fire lit face. "What did you do?"

"It connected."

It was strange, almost invading. Her chakra connected with his through their hands, it moved through his arm and into his inner pool of chakra.

"It's like, it was like a… I dunno. Our chakras needed to have the same link… Or something."

He could feel it in her chakra. She didn't understand it herself. More than that, he could feel how happy she was at her success. At having come with him today. At holding his hand. He felt the troubles she had been having, the unrest and disappointment.

At that moment as he stared at her and she at him, he knew her thoughts.

Freaky. "Freaky." She said and released his hand.

His heart pounded in his chest. His hand twitched from the loss of chakra.

A sudden memory came to the forefront of his mind. Something someone had once said when he was young. He couldn't remember who it was that spoke the words, but he remembered them anyway.

"You know there's a saying… That when two Shinobi are powerful enough… They read each other's thoughts, simply through an exchange of fists. Without ever uttering a single word." Itachi mused.

"You think it's that?" She asked.

"I can't think of anything else."

**[(****－－****)]..zzZ "Cloud-watching" = +200 IQ**

Time passed on and winter set in for the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Kyoko didn't really like the winter, but she didn't dislike it either.

But the winter was one of the few things on her mind.

Her mind swirled with questions as she kicked at the ground.

Walking randomly through the streets was a habit she'd picked up from Shisui. The three of them, Itachi included, sometimes walked randomly around the village when they didn't have the chakra to train.

She had spent more of her life training than she did in anything else. Every morning, before the sun had risen, she would venture into the darkness of the Nara forest. There she spent several hours practicing anything she felt like and meditating. After that, she would meet with her team and endure the grueling sessions her Sensei dished out. Those usually lasted until the evening and if their schedules lined up, Kyoko would spend the rest of the evening with Shisui and Itachi. A quick dinner at home, a few hours of sleep and then she'd do it all again.

All that, for what?

What had driven her so much in the beginning?

Looking up from the dirt pathway, Kyoko gazed at the clouded sky of the morning. The hustle and bustle of the village started to grow louder as storefronts opened and people left their homes. The scents of restaurants passed her and the chatter of both Shinobi and civilians filled her ears.

Her eyes trailed to the Hokage building. Standing tall in its fiery red color, the building looked old even though it had been less than four years since it was rebuilt. After the attack of that fox.

Her eyes trailed again, up to the faces of the Hokage.

How did they become so strong?

Why did they become so strong?

The First Hokage, the Shodaime, the God of ninja. Kyoko had read about him in history books, in the textbooks of the academy. He was the founder of Konoha, he had created the village. Gathered a bunch of war dogs and gave them a home. How had he been able to convince blood and battle-born warriors to gather and live in peace?

She followed along the path branching off and around the Hokage building. Her eyes moved to the next familiar face.

The second Hokage, Nidaime, brother of the First. The stories about the Second Hokage sounded far less fantastical than the tales of his elder brother, the First Hokage. He was the genius behind many of the systems and policies that the village used, and still use. He created the theory of squad-based missions and the ranking system of the ninja in the village. Kyoko preferred the texts of the Second more than the First.

Beside the Second Hokage's mountain carved face was a younger version of the Third Hokage. Kyoko could just make out the side of the man's face from the bottom of the staircase. She didn't need to see it though, she'd spent her entire life looking up at the Great Stone Faces. Their current acting Hokage, the Sandaime, was a well-learned man. Given the title of a Professor among his comrades and enemies alike.

She reached the top of the cliffside staircase and stopped. Above was the face of the Fourth Hokage. The Yondaime, the Yellow Flash of the Leaf, a hero of the village. He was Hokage for only a short while, but in that time he had been praised over and over. She believed them, that the fourth was capable of many things. She had only seen the man for a few seconds. Had seen him in arguably his greatest moment and he had changed her life.

Looking across into the open air, Kyoko gazed down at the village. A sight she had seen only once before. On that night. It was so vastly different from then. The daylight paralleled her mind-created visions of the village under a night sky. The lively buzz of the streets echoed screams of terror. Clouds of morning mist rolled through the village. Her mind turned them to clouds of dust, kicked up by a beautifully sinister demon. The hills in the distance had an unnatural shape, the earth carved out by the demon's ball of chakra.

In her mind fluttered a white cloak.

Kyoko closed her eyes and focused on the image in her head.

Bright blonde hair. Brilliant blue eyes that put the summer sky to shame. And a kind, reassuring smile.

The encounter was less than a minute, but it had filled her with such a drive. Such a maniacal devotion to her goal. To be worthy of the village he had protected.

"And what could a young Genin such as yourself possibly be thinking up here all alone?" The Third Hokage said from behind her. She'd known he was there, sensed him through the three seconds it for him to join her.

"Lord Hokage." She acknowledged from her position. Leaning on the safety railing of the platform outside the emergency shelter. She should have turned to greet him properly, she should be bowing to him as his loyal subordinate.

But she didn't want to, not right now. For once in a long time, Kyoko let the eight-year-old buried inside her have her way.

The cold breeze brushed gently across their forms causing her long ponytail to sway.

"When you look out across the village, what is it that you see." He asked her, stepping up beside her to share in the view.

"I see buildings." Kyoko said initially. She felt the dissatisfaction in his chakra flicker about. "I see trees."

Kyoko scanned the village. "I see the river."

She could feel the chakra of the people, like small lights that all glowed together. "I see people."

The day was clear and calm. "I see peace. And yet," She paused, "I can see the fox."

Interest flickered in the Hokage, "Oh?" Clearly, he was interested. Well, she had no one else to talk to at the moment.

"I stood here, that night. In this exact spot. Holding my brother and watching that demon rage on in the village. I can see the smoke, I can hear the screams, I can feel the tremors. The image in my head is lingering."

"Did you see the Fourth?"

Kyoko didn't want to answer, wanting to selfishly keep that moment to herself. It was special to her and not something she wanted to share with this man.

"What was he like? Lord Fourth?" Kyoko asked.

"He was the student of my student. Promising, intelligent, wise and devoted. I have no doubt that he would have led this village to a new kind of greatness."

The multitude of emotions that swirled inside the chakra of the older man started to give her a headache. Nothing she wasn't used to.

"I wanted to be like that." Kyoko said. "I wanted to be that strong, that reliable… that bright."

"You can be." He assured her.

Kyoko laughed at his comment, he wasn't fooling her anymore. She had snapped from the illusion he had painted himself in. "No, Lord Hokage. I can't be. It's not who I am."

"And who are you?"

"I'm still trying to figure that out."

"Are you not Nara Kyoko?" He said cryptically.

"I don't feel like that girl anymore."

The morning mist began to lift its cloak on the village.

"Whoever you are, whatever you become, you are first and foremost a ninja of the Hidden Leaf." Somehow, the collar around her neck didn't feel so heavy anymore. Instead, it gave her a place to belong. She could be nothing, no one, and still have a place to return to.

It was reassuring.

"Lord Hokage?"

"Hm?" He hummed in reply.

"Why did Lord Fourth sacrifice himself?"

The old man went silent for a moment, most likely contemplating his answer. "Because he loved this village."

"What does that even mean!? Everyone talks about protecting what is special to them! The village, their family, friends, dreams! What makes something that special?" Her pent-up confusion and thoughts burst out from her.

"Minato loved this village because of the memories he held here."

"The memories?" Confusion sat heavy in her tone.

"The friends he made, the woman he loved and his hopes for the future."

Kyoko contemplated her thoughts silently, was the Fourth really just like every other Shinobi in the village? Desperately fixated on protecting the things he held dear. Her head ran circles, trying to understand the infinite loop of human hypocrisy. Until a single question rose to the surface.

"What… What is a village?"

The Third Hokage looked out over the village, seeming to ponder her question. "My teacher, the Second Hokage, once told me that a village was a stronghold." The Third Hokage's words caught her unshakeable attention, "A stronghold that sheltered the young, budding future."

The future.

Her eyes dragged down to the building that sat snugly beside the Hokage building. The academy was filled with children who played together without a care in the world. It was a place where she grew to understand the world, it would be her brother's place of learning soon.

"The future. I think I understand that, at least."

"There are many paths a shinobi can walk, Kyoko. They all merge and diverge at different points but no path is wrong."

"Do you really believe that?"

"I believe there are many people who believe that."

So that was a 'No' then.

Kyoko closed her eyes once more, feeling the light presence of the village. From this distance, the hum of chakra was warm and pleasant if she didn't dive into it.

"I want to protect what Lord Fourth has left behind." Kyoko confessed. "I want to understand what he was thinking at that moment."

"Well then, I expect you to progress to Chunin in this year's exam."

Surprise and confusion filled her. She watched the Third Hokage make his way slowly down the steps with his hands clasped behind his back.

What had he planned for her? She couldn't help but wonder. She narrowed her eyes in suspicion at his retreating form.

Kyoko didn't doubt though, that if she went along with the old man's plan for her, she'd find more questions and more answers than she currently had. With his support, she wondered looking out over the village, would she gaze down on the Leaf in the same as they did? With pride and determination?

Her goal didn't change.

She still needed to become stronger.

The only difference now was that she understood herself a bit better. Herself, and that string-pulling Hokage.

Kyoko wondered if it was strange to admire something that bothered her at the same time.

The village, her people, her life and Shinobi. All these things seemed a little less frustrating, a little less tiring and a little more meaningful.


	7. Chapter 7

I really tried to wait until August to update but… that didn't wind up happening. I got close though!

(This seems to be a reoccurring theme in my updating schedule.)

Also, I don't know why but italics just doesn't convert over from word for some reason, if someone could help with that then I'd really appreciate it!

I just want to give a special thanks to the people that commented and shared their opinions with me. It really is the greatest thing to read your reviews so thank you to **Ruby Calendula, NightlyRowenTree, sjslovesstories, Mestre720 **and **Sam est classe.** It's an absolute delight to hear from you all!

**m( Φ ω Φ )m "**_**Meow-Raow-Nya**_**~"**

The Nara forest was a dark place, even during the day. At almost four in the morning it was near impossible to see. Kyoko never used a light in the mornings, her eyes already adjusted from the darkness of the night, it gave her a slight increase of sight when she left her home for the forest every morning.

It was cold. As one would expect from the before dawn winter's morning.

Kyoko followed the well ventured path of her clan's forest. She didn't really need her eyes to navigate the forest. She knew every root, every slip and every rock on the trail.

She drew the icy air into her lungs through her nose and released it in a white cloud from her mouth. She circulated the chakra through her body a little faster to help keep her warm. Passing under the dark outline of the wooden tori gates she turned detoured left off of the initial track. Her eyes could make the outline of everything, but the forest lacked detail in the darkness. She weaved between the trees, daring not to touch the sacred evergreen oaks of the forest as she passed by.

The first stone lantern could be faintly made out as Kyoko entered a small clearing in the forest. The tachi-doro had been placed in the forest long before the records of the Nara clan even began. The six stone lanterns lined the edge of the clearing. Their details escaped her eyes but her mind painted a perfect picture in her head. The stone lanterns, decorated with carvings of deer and peonies, stood unwavering and adorned in moss like a badge of pride given by time.

The clearing was well maintained, possibly one of the flattest areas of the forest, its caretakers were not the Nara but the deer. Grass, trees and shrubs all striped as a meal.

Kyoko stood in the middle of the clearing pondering to herself. It was cold, so she wanted to do some moving around at least until the sun began to rise. Kyoko stretched her still sleepy limbs and began her warm-up. When she could no longer feel the cold of the winter morning, she threw herself into her training. The quick summoning of a clone and several noncontact spars; not wanting to waste chakra by dispelling it, passed by the first three hours. The sun peaked on the horizon, only slightly visible through the canopy of the ancient forest's trees.

After cooling down Kyoko wiped the sweat from her face with the bottom of her tan shirt, the only clean part left of her filthy shirt. Kyoko sighed and stretched out again. The stars, visible through small parts of the trees, started to fade in the brightening sky. The dark night mixing into a serene blend of purple, grey and pink.

She would have to spend only a short few hours in meditation this morning, she had to meet up with her team at ten and she still wanted to have a shower and get changed from her grubby morning clothes. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the flow of her chakra first, clearing her emotions from the forefront of her mind and started to feel around her. The animals of the land. The light, cold breeze. The shifting of the trees. The life of the forest. She could feel it thrumming, its energy. It swirled around her in a never-ending flow. Her body naturally set into the meditative state. Everything was flowing, surreal, translucent. Kyoko reached out with her senses. Curious and cautious. The feeling akin to pushing water in a lake with her fingers. It was calming and electric at the same time. It was like liquid chaos and harmony. Kyoko reached deeper. The feeling was intoxicating, its power alluring. She reached further into the power of the forest, its contradicting energy burned her fingers and froze them at the same time, she couldn't, wouldn't, move her fingers. The feeling spread up her palm and past her wrist. It was calming and still enticed a reactional sense of fear.

A feeling at her back snapped her from her thoughts and sent her rushing back to the moment. Her back and sides were jabbed roughly and something hot and waxy slid beneath her arms. Kyoko was ripped from her meditative position and flung across the ground. Her reflexes kicked in, with a hand on the ground she spun and rolled into a cat-like landing. Kyoko looked up, startled to look across the distance she'd been flung. A stag stood there in all his grace, his brown coat covered in faint white spots.

"Shimoichi? The hell was that for?" Kyoko asked. She shifted from her landing back into a seated position on the earthen floor.

The stag pawed at the ground and threw his antlers about. Kyoko raised her hands in surrender.

"Alright! Alright! I get it. None of that." Whatever 'that' had been.

Shimoichi snorted and stared at her.

"What? You're going to watch me now?" She asked. The stag continued his staring at her even as the rest of the heard came into the clearing. A doe and her fawn walked up to her. The doe, named Miyake, sniffed at her hair. Kyoko held her hand out for the doe.

"Sorry, I didn't bring any biscuits with me this morning." Kyoko snickered as Miyake snorted her disapproval. Kyoko settled back into her meditative position and let herself relax. She was promptly shoved to the side by the hard head of Miyake.

"Aw, come on guys! What's with you today? Is this because I didn't bring any biscuits? I'm sorry, Okay?" Kyoko said in exasperation. Miyake nudged roughly at Kyoko's shoulder again. Forcing Kyoko to reach out for the ground to stop herself from tumbling over. In front of her, Shimoichi threw his full head of antlers about. It was a clear warning. Kyoko huffed, feeling a little annoyed, and stood.

"Fine, alright, no meditation! Crazy deer." Kyoko brushed some of the dirt off from her pants that clung with a mixture of sweat and morning dew. Miyake's fawn rubbed his neck on her pants.

"Rikumaru, you're my favorite. So please don't turn into a pushy beast like your parents." He stared into her soul with dark, innocent eyes.

"Well, I still have an hour… what to do?" she pondered to herself. Kyoko sighed and lifted her arm out.

From the trees, on dark wings, flew out a crow. Its feet gripped into her arm like claws. Pitch black wings spread as the bird perched precariously on her small arm. Kyoko gently ran the back of her fingers over the crow's feathers.

"Good morning, Toushi." As the bird gained his balance, he folded his wings against his body. Trusting her arms strength and stillness to keep him up.

"The flock bids you good morning, my Lady." Kyoko couldn't keep the smile from her face. It was cute, being called a lady. Not that she would admit that to anyone else.

Each crow in her flock was an individual but they all acted together, unless her orders said otherwise. Toushi was the bird that spoke to her the most. Talking wasn't a common thing among the crows. Only six of her crows spoke the human language. The others understood it, a necessity in taking orders, but they never seemed to find it necessary to learn or they just didn't have the talent for it.

"I've just had an idea, Toushi, and I wanted to run it by the flock to see what thoughts it brings." Kyoko explained.

Toushi's head cocked to the side in curiosity. Ebony eyes waiting for her to continue.

"I was thinking on using the transformation Jutsu in collaboration with the substitution Jutsu."

"My lady may need to explain more."

"When I use the substitution Jutsu with the flock, that leaves my enemy confused and open for attack. But what if I need to not attack or move into a better position gradually? I could use the transformation Jutsu to turn into a crow and escape with the flock."

Toushi blinked at her words and the flutter of wings burst from the trees. Five other crows flurried about the area in beats of wings. One landed on her shoulder, another landed on the back of an annoyed looking Rikumaru and the others landed on the antlers Shimoichi – who hadn't taken his eyes off of her by the way.

"A great idea!"

"Join the flock!"

"You'll have to learn."

"Can a human fly on the flocks wing?"

"We shall find out."

"We shall, we shall."

The absolute bombardment of energy from the birds left Kyoko feeling stupefied. She hadn't thought as far as the physical capabilities of the transformation Jutsu. But the idea of it was intriguing.

"All right, let's give it a shot!" Kyoko moved her hands together into the ram sign and focused her chakra. With the picture painted in her head, the chakra surrounded her in a puff of smoke.

She immediately felt off, as using the transformation Jutsu usually did. It wasn't a well-liked Jutsu among ninja. The uncomfortable feeling was like that of being shoved into some sort suit. Limbs longer than one was used to or lacking in other areas.

This, however, was the worst of all the transformations she had ever done. She hadn't actually thought about what she would gain and lose. She had just assumed that instinct would kick in and help her out even slightly.

But no, it didn't. Not even slightly.

Kyoko laid on the grass where she once stood. The eyes of crows and deer alike watched her in fascination. Everything was far larger than before. The deer looked like great beasts, the trees more towering and daunting than before. Heck, even the blades of grass resembled her kunai – or maybe senbon - in their length and slender shape.

She was more uncoordinated than she had ever been in her entire life.

She could probably tie all of her limbs together and still have better control of her body and mobility.

Three of her crows landed on the ground beside her. They pushed at her sides to help her stand.

It was wrong, so very wrong. Her legs bent the wrong way. Her body's weight was shifted entirely. She had no arms, only the wings securely tucked into her body.

Her balance was poor at best. She had spent the entire final hour of her morning training just learning how to walk. Hopping would have to wait for tomorrow.

She wouldn't be testing flight any time soon. Not until she could at least get used to how this body felt.

With another puff of chakra, Kyoko returned to the comfortable skin she now cherished.

A silky black bird perched on her shoulder.

"Worry not, worry not. Lady'll be flock in no time at all!" Momachi comforted. He was a darling bird.

"That's good to hear, Momachi. I'll be sure to practice every day, so you'll help me, right?"

"Yes, Yes. Flock will help. Momachi will help!"

Kyoko smiled at the kind bird and lightly stroked his feathers.

"I love you guys." The flock were her support. Always watching, always ready to support her, always accepting.

"We are fortunate to have the lady as this flocks summoner." Toushi began, "The other flocks were down on their luck with the other two." Kyoko snickered at the bird's comments of Shisui and Itachi.

Kyoko left the Nara forest after that. Wanting to clean up and have a hot shower before going to training again. Who knew though, maybe they'd have a mission? Kyoko didn't want to show up covered in grime and have to work with others the entire day, especially a client.

D-ranked missions were bad enough as it was.

**m( Φ ω Φ )m "**_**Meow-Raow-Nya**_**~"**

"Izu-chan. Sorry to make you wait." Kyoko greeted.

The brown-haired girl turned to Kyoko and her face lit up into a smile.

"Kyo-chan!" Izumi bounded up from her seat and engulfed Kyoko in a hug. "It's so good to see you!"

A smile tugged at Kyoko lips and her heart fluttered. Over the last year and a half Izumi had become a rock in Kyoko's life. A center point for the small part that still remained a young girl.

"It's good to see you too Izu-chan."

Izumi pulled back from the hug and held her at arm's length. "Come on! I've been looking forward to this for a while now!"

Izumi led Kyoko by her arm and tugged her out of the snow-covered park and into the streets. Kyoko let her friend lead them through the village.

They stopped at the large building. It was old, a surviving building of the nine tails attack. The Inn was a popular spot for both the people of the village and the odd few travelers that liked to pass through Konoha and take a break from their treacherous winter travels. Despite its age and the wear in the wooden walls, the Inn was famous in the village for the natural hot springs it was built on.

"It's been so long since I've been to an Onsen! This was a fantastic idea, Kyoko." Izumi gushed as they entered the building. They paid the attendant and passed through to the women's locker room.

"Most of the D-ranked missions these days have been cold related. Shoveling snow, breaking and harvesting ice, escorting deliveries, tracking lost caravans or stray travelers. My team passed an Onsen on our way back from our last mission, I've been wanting to visit one ever since." Kyoko said as she and Izumi undressed in the locker rooms.

Kyoko entered the shower room first and washed the layered-up grime that a quick shower couldn't get off. Having rubbed her skin red and raw she moved through the halls and out into the outside baths after seeing that the indoor baths were occupied with a bunch of older ladies. Kyoko didn't really feel like intruding in on the ladies or having them judge any conversation between her and Izumi.

Kyoko sunk into the hot waters. Her chilled skin burned presently from the naturally heated water. The stem rolled around the morning light as the sun began its creep over the sky. It was overcast and looked like it could rain or snow at any time. Kyoko hoped it wouldn't, at least not for a few days.

It was a few minutes later that Izumi walked outside through the wooden door. Izumi joined her in the water and sighed its hot temperature. They sat there in silence for a moment, soaking in the warmth and letting their muscles relax. Moments turned into quickly passing minutes. Time melted away lake the tension from their bones. Kyoko turned around and rested her steaming hot arms on the rock edge of the pool. The freezing cold stones contrasted nicely to her reddended skin.

"Scars?" Izumi said from behind her. The brown girl gasped and apologized, not realizing she'd been talking out loud.

Kyoko turned her head to look at her friend who seemed worried.

"Perks of being a ninja, Izu-chan. They're stories engraved on my skin."

Her friend looked at her in confusion. Kyoko pointed to a thin mark on her shoulder, its color slightly lighter than her natural skin. "This one here was from a bandit." She pointed to another, slightly lower than the first. "This was from Sensei." She switched shoulders and pointed to another faint mark. "And this was from a ninja panther." Kyoko said proudly, that fight had been one of the most exhilarating battles of her life to date. The beast was sleek, quick and agile and downright strange to do battle with. The fight ended with injuries on both sides but both she and the black panther lived to see the next day.

"Ah, um… How many do you have?" Izumi asked hesitantly.

"Eleven. Most of them are small though." Kyoko shrugged. She didn't care all that much about her appearance. Not when the prettiest Kunoichi were often trained in honeypot missions. Kyoko internally shuddered at the thought.

"You don't dislike them?" Izumi asked.

Kyoko shook her head. "I like them. But at the same time, I dislike them."

Izumi frowned, "Sometimes, Kyo-chan makes no sense."

Her friend's words made he laugh. "I only dislike them because they say I'm still inexperienced. If I was stronger then I wouldn't have got them in the first place. But I like them because they're proof of my fights. Proof that I was strong enough at the time to survive."

Izumi hummed in thought, "Now I kind of want one too."

Kyoko giggled at her friend. "You should graduate the academy first."

Izumi groaned loudly, "Kyo-chan! It's no fair. You graduated so early!"

"I'm just a Genin though."

"Still, you have a team and you get to go on missions and earn money and leave the village. It's way better than being stuck in a classroom."

Kyoko could point out flaws in all the points she made. Her team was missing a member, the missions sucked, D-ranked paid the least amount of money and every time she left the village Kyoko wanted nothing more than to return home. But Kyoko didn't voice her thoughts. Because Izumi was right. In spite of it all, those negatives were better than being stuck in a classroom.

"You have the Chunin exams coming up, right?" Izumi asked.

Kyoko sighed. The Hokage himself had pushed her squad into the nomination for the exam. She wasn't the only one who had been pushed forward. Itachi was also participating for the first time. If she and Kou decided to participate then Itachi would be joint to their squad. If Kou backed out, then both she and Itachi would be going solo through the entire thing. It seemed that the people in power were pushing for their plans. Whatever they were. All Kyoko knew was that the Hokage was building her up as a piece in his game. Where Itachi fit into the picture, she didn't know.

"Still deciding." Kyoko replied and Izumi went quiet. Izumi typically tried her best not to say things that may upset other people but sometimes the girl's honest personality often betrayed her. Izumi contained her thoughts this time, though Kyoko could tell that she was most likely thinking of the aftermath of Kyoko's last Chunin exam. Kyoko had been a wreck for the better part of a month. She had developed a dangerous habit of too little sleep and too little nutrients for a practicing and active shinobi. It wasn't until she ran herself into the ground – literally, she passed out – that her senses and grief finally took over and ran its course.

"Hana-chan's taken on an apprenticeship!" Izumi swiftly changed the subject. Eager to chat about their mutual friend, Kyoko jumped onto the conversation.

"An apprenticeship? Doing what?" Kyoko asked, while it was uncommon for academy students to become apprentices it wasn't like it never happened.

"A medic! For animals!" Izumi gushed excitedly. "Isn't that awesome? Hana-chan is so independent."

Kyoko didn't know if it was independence or individuality but whatever it was Kyoko was happy for Hana.

"Apprenticeship, huh?" Kyoko wondered whimsically.

"Are you thinking of taking up an apprenticeship too, Kyoko?" Izumi asked.

"The idea is appealing. To have a specialty in something other than being a ninja would be very… proficient." Kyoko said. "But I'd want it to be something I enjoy doing."

"Well, what do you like?" Izumi asked helpfully.

"Fighting?"

Izumi deadpan expression brought a mischievous smile on to Kyoko's face. Kyoko shrugged her shoulders as her second answer. "I haven't tried much else. Shinobi is all I know. Well, that and Shogi."

"I don't know anything about Shoji." Izumi pondered absently.

"Don't worry, Izu-chan, you're not missing out on much." Kyoko said in a dreary tone.

"Oh that's right, don't you have another tournament coming up? How many is that now?" Izumi asked. Kyoko had complained to Izumi and the other girls back in the academy, when the topic of boys and Kyoko's lack of interest in the heartthrob of each class was a popular discussion among the girls.

"This year will be the fourth." The time between the Nara succession tournament was gradually getting less and less. Kyoko loathed the thought of having to be stuffed in those restricting kimono and forced to sit through mediocre games. Her time could be much more efficiently used. At least the rest of her family shared her thoughts. Her Ma and Pa had become utterly uninterested in the event after they had developed confidence in her skill. Shikamaru, on the other hand, was loud in his complaints before and after the tournaments and was often jabbed awake by their mother throughout the silent competition.

That bit was at least a little amusing.

"We should do this more." Kyoko voiced. Sinking further into the water. Snow flakes began their fall.

**m( Φ ω Φ )m "**_**Meow-Raow-Nya**_**~"**

A pounding on his door summoned him from his nap. Kou raised off from the couch and dragged his stone tired legs over to the door. The sent of his teammate leaked through the door.

"What?" He asked rudely.

"Did I wake you, princess?" Kyoko mocked.

Kou scowled at the girl and leaned on the wooden frame of the door.

"As a matter of fact, you did wake me." Kou retorted. He sincerely hoped that she wasn't here to round him up for a mission. Today was a day off. That meant no missions. And no training.

Kyoko rose a questioning eyebrow at him. "At two in the afternoon?"

He didn't bother to continue with the conversation of his overly tiredness. "What do ya' need from me? If it's nothing then let me sleep on our day off."

Kyoko looked off to the side and shuffled a bit, looking slightly uncomfortable.

His grumpy, half asleep mood made him snap a little. "What?" He spat.

Kyoko sighed, "I need your help with my training."

Nuts, she was completely nuts. Training on their one day off of the month? Kou was somewhat disgusted with how much she trained.

"Depends. What's the training and what do you need me to do?"

Kyoko rubbed at her neck and avoided looking at him in the eyes. Whatever it was she was training, she didn't want to say it out loud. Too bad for her, if she wanted his help then she'd have to suck it up.

"Well?" Kou pushed.

"I'm learning…" she hesitated for a moment and sighed again, resigning herself to her thoughts. "I'm learning to fly."

His mind went blank.

Then the questions started flooding in.

In the mix of them all, all he could manage to say was a dazed "What?"

He didn't give her time to answer. He turned on his heel and grabbed his jacket, slipped on his shoes and dragged her away from his house. Least she pollute it with her crazy.

He had heard her. Clear as day. Kyoko wasn't usually the type to lie when asking for help. So if what she said was true and she really was leaning to fly, well then, that was something he definitely didn't want to miss.

"Run that by me again," he started as he dragged her down the road. "You're learning how to fly? Do you even have any idea how insane that sounds?"

"I know I sound mental. Thanks."

"So you do know, that's good." She ramed her elbow into his side. He winced, nursing the dull throb of his ribs. "So how exactly are you doing this and what do you need my help for?"

"Using the transformation technique to change into a bird I could possibly learn how to fly."

"Interesting." Kou pondered the possibilities. Of course, the idea had popped into mind a few times of transforming into something completely different. But just changing into a different person was uncomfortable and disorientating enough.

"My crows have been teaching me, but I don't really want to jump from a tree and splat myself on the ground."

"So you just need me to catch you?" he asked. Sounded simple enough.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Kou hummed still feeling slightly annoyed at her for interrupting his day of nothing, "Why didn't you ask someone else, instead of asking me?"

Kyoko stopped in the middle of the street. Her eyes stared down at the dirt path before dragging up to the clouded sky.

"I feel like I haven't been the best teammate."

Kou was thrown off guard by the confession.

"We've been team three for over three years now. I don't really know anything about you, or Norumaru." Norumaru's name still stabbed him. "I just wanted to spend some time with you."

"So you're not dragging me out to ask me about the Exam?"

Kyoko smiled, "Na. I think I already know the answer anyway."

Kou watched her silently then carried on.

"If you actually manage to work this out, I expect you to do the same."

"Eh?"

Kou grinned at the thought in his head. "I'm gonna' be stealing this idea."

Kyoko shifted her eyes to him and eyed him wearily. "The flying or the transforming?"

"Transforming. I'm not cut out for high places." While he wasn't afraid of heights, they did make him squeamish and highly uncomfortable. Heh, pun.

"So, what are you going to transform into then?" She asked.

"I'm an Inuzuka. Take a guess." Kou said sarcastically. Kyoko didn't bother to state the obvious.

"Fine. Every day after Sensei leaves, we'll train for a few extra hours."

"Oi, I didn't agree to that." But he didn't bother to disagree either. Kou heaved a breath of air and exhaled loudly, "Fine."

**m( Φ ω Φ )m "**_**Meow-Raow-Nya**_**~"**

The Chunin exam was held a week after her birthday. This time, in Konoha.

With the hidden leaf village being the one who was hosting the exams this time round, many leaf Genin made it through the first exam.

She was one of those who passed. The written exam had been easy. So easy that she hadn't needed to resort to the tactics she needed the last time round.

Nor did she need to share the information with her team. She was alone.

The string pulling Hokage had made several special exemptions for this exam. The solo participation of both Kyoko and Itachi had caught the attention of all of their fellow Genin.

The second exam was held in the forest of death. Each team was given a pseudo mission. To collect both a heaven and earth scroll and make it to the tower. Each team was given a single scroll in the beginning.

Most hid the scroll as soon as they got it, hiding it to avoid anyone targeting them. But not Itachi.

Kyoko stared after him in amazement as he strolled out of the tent with his newly acquired heaven scroll. Flaunting it off to all the teams. Deliberately baiting himself.

A few teams later, then it was her turn. She too was given a heaven scroll and, unlike her friend, Kyoko tucked the scroll into the tool pouch on her hip.

Kyoko was led to a starting gate and patiently waited. When the gate opened at the sound of a buzzer, Kyoko took off into the harsh and unforgiving forest.

It took her an hour of navigating the giant trees before she caught up to her friend.

She wasn't the only one who was seeking out Itachi. There were four other teams in pursuit of the Uchiha boy.

One of the teams were already confronting him, the another was a little behind but would catch up if Itachi was delayed enough. The rest would take some time to reach him.

How nice of him, Kyoko thought to herself, this plan worked brilliantly.

Kyoko altered her course and headed for the team slightly behind. She intercepted them in a flash. Appearing behind them with her superior stealth, Kyoko swiftly trapped them with her clans shadow Jutsu.

The team, their headbands showed that they were from the Sand, could do nothing to stop Kyoko from ruffling around in their belongings.

Kyoko dug out the Earth scroll in the tallest boy's sleeve and with sharp attacks, rendered the squad unconscious.

If they were lucky, they would get picked up by an instructor or else they may get eaten by the various deadly or giant animals protected by the forest.

With both scrolls comfortably placed in her tool pouch, Kyoko left the area and took to the trees again.

She followed after Itachi's warm chakra as it grew hotter then simmered down, marginally less than it was before. Kyoko appeared in time to see Itachi knock his opponent unconscious to the ground with their other two squad mates.

Itachi looked up to Kyoko briefly, the smallest amount of hesitation showed in his eyes.

Kyoko gave him a bored look and flicked her hand in a wave.

The boy instantly relaxed after analyzing her composure. Kyoko fell into step beside Itachi as the started off toward the tower.

"Nice plan, you were fantastic bait." Kyoko grinned.

Itachi gave her a sideways look and scoffed, "Glad to help." Came his sarcastic reply.

Kyoko snickered and Itachi leapt for the trees. Following him up, Kyoko kept her senses on high alert.

It took them no less than four hours to reach the tower.

"Time: Five hours and thirty-seven minutes. Congratulations on setting a new record for the Forest of death exam." The Jounin proctor drawled. "Please make your way to the lobby and wait in your assigned room seeing as there is still four and a half days of the exam to go. If you are in need of immediate medical attention, then please let a Jounin know. All fighting is prohibited in the tower. Harming another candidate is grounds for immediate expulsion from the exam."

With his little speech finished, the leaf Jounin vanished in a poof of chakra induced smoke. Kyoko looked to Itachi, her eyebrows halfway up her forehead in surprise and confusion.

Itachi replied to her silent question with a shrug of his shoulders, moving deeper into the building.

**m( Φ ω Φ )m "**_**Meow-Raow-Nya**_**~"**

"I can't believe you." Kyoko stared at him with a frown on her face.

Itachi had no idea what he had done to wrong her this time, but it mustn't have been that important as she just flopped down on the chair in the room.

"What?" he asked as she heaved a dramatically loud sigh.

"What, you don't know?" she asked him and her scowl morphed into a pout.

Itachi stared at her, not bothering to answer something so obvious.

"Your first opponent of the third exam." She elaborated unhelpfully.

"What about them?" Itachi put aside his book he had delved into to pass the time. Seeing this was exam related, Itachi deemed it important enough to hold his full attention.

"They found out it was you they were up against and bailed out." Kyoko scoffed. "Wimp."

"Who am I versing then?"

She shrugged, "Whoever wins between a Cloud Genin and a Stone Genin. The Cloud brat is the favorite to win." Kyoko's mocking grin came on full display. "Get this, the Cloud Genin is named Shunmino Nemui."

Itachi felt his face show the disbelief. "Your joking? Right?"

Kyoko burst into laughter. "Nope!"

Sleepy Hibernation. The Cloud Genin was named Sleepy Hibernation.

"It has to be a pseudonym." He reasoned.

Kyoko nodded her agreement, "Either that or there is something seriously wrong with his parents. Who would even name a kid that?"

Itachi ignored her rhetorical question, "When is your match?" he asked.

"I'm in the second round, you're in the fifth now." Itachi nodded and picked his book back up. They still had a few hours before the fights began.

"What's that you're reading?" She asked.

Without pausing from his book, he answered, "Unconventional Practices of Seven Kami and How it Affects Chakra."

"Ooo… Sounds interesting."

"It's really not."

And so, the next three hours were spent quietly in the small room until the final round began.

The first match was somewhat plain. The only interesting candidate in the one on one fight was a Sand Genin who used a pair of small twin scythe in conjunction with well preformed Wind style Jutsu.

But next was the fight he had been looking forward to watching.

Kyoko jumped into the arena and stood opposite her opponent.

Not once had Itachi ever seen his friend go all out in a fight. Sure, they put a hell of a lot into their spars but there never was any real drawback to losing. And sparring seemed to influence teamwork and fluidity more than it being an actual battle. It was less of a clash and more of a dance.

"Like the match before, there are absolutely no rules." The proctor begun, "You will battle until your opponent admits defeat or until I deem that one of you is unable to go on anymore. Am I clear?" Announced the Jounin.

Standing across from Kyoko was her opponent, a Genin from the land of Cloud, who looked tense and ready.

The Cloud Kunoichi was thin, her legs were shown off in tight leggings that wrapped around well-defined muscle. Just from a glance over with his Sharingan eyes, Itachi could tell that the girl was a speed type shinobi. The blonde form the Cloud looked like she could be a tough opponent for Kyoko, it probably didn't help that the older Genin would have had more experience than his friend. But it was too soon to judge.

His eyes switched to Kyoko. She watched her opponent fiercely, not once taking her eyes from the other girl. Kyoko's hand was twitching, no doubt she wanted to draw her sword after seeing her opponent so poised and ready, like a rubber band pulled to its limit.

"The second round of the Final Exams, Nara Kyoko of Konohagakure verses Nii of Kumogakure. Begin!"

At the Jounin's signal the two girls shot at each other, so fast that anyone who blinked would have missed it. They collided in a sound of ringing metal against metal. The Nekode, steel black cat-like claws on the tips of slender fingers, swiped down in a quick swoop.

Kyoko had, in that split second, drawn her tanto to parry Nii's weapon. The tips of the single hand's claws held Kyoko's blade at bay.

They analyzed each other in a single second of their clash, Nii slashed the other hand out. Itachi's Sharingan could pick out the few strands of hair falling to the ground. Kyoko had dodged with the slightest margin of error to spare. The next few seconds were quick and violent.

Nii's relentless attacks forced Kyoko to parry and deflect every move, never giving the Nara girl a breath to spare for herself. In the smallest of openings, Kyoko flicked her tanto inwards in a very risky maneuver. The silver of her blade barely missed grazing Nii's skin then turned in on herself, Kyoko expertly twirled her tanto back into her grip and deflected the next swipe.

The two girls burst apart from each other. Coming to a halt, tensed and ready for another round. The crowd roared. Kyoko took a second to look about the area. Nii's eyes narrowed, watching the other. They were being cautious of each other.

Kyoko relaxed her taut posture and flicked her short sword into a set position. "Kitty has claws." She taunted.

Nii's eyes narrowed. "Shall we play cat and mouse?" The Cloud Genin mocked.

Kyoko teetered on her toes at the question, "You don't look much like a mouse though?"

Itachi watched with slight amusement as the blonde girl set into an overly cat-like stance and snarled.

Kyoko grinned, "You're like a tiger!"

In that moment, Itachi realized his friend was slightly moonstruck.

They shot forward again. The crowd watching from above were enthralled and excited by the raw show of skill and power between the two Kunoichi. These exams were all about showing power and it seemed like both contestants in the arena understood that.

For a solid three minutes, they exchanged quick and lethal attacks. Kyoko was forced to bring out a kunai and pair it with her tanto in order to repel the quickening clawed attacks.

Itachi could see Kyoko's annoyance building up in the way her eyes narrowed and her brows drew closer and closer. He found himself growing excited. He knew, more than anyone else, that the angrier she became the more dangerous she was for an opponent. Anticipation sank into Itachi, his fingers clutched into his folded arms. His thoughts egging her on, wanting to see more.

Nii twirled around Kyoko's countering strike and kicked out at Kyoko. His friend took the hit, it sent her back several meters and had her crash landing into the concrete stage of the arena. The dust around her cleared and Kyoko emerged from her spot with a rolling of her shoulder. She must have landed poorly, Itachi reasoned.

"Here, kitty, kitty." Kyoko grinned wildly. Itachi stared with mixed emotions as the Cloud Genin grinned right back. Disbelief and jealousy swirled dominantly in him, he set his mind aside from his emotions and continued to watch, his eyes spinning with the red of his Sharingan.

Nii's cat-like stance changed into a lowly centered position. The blonde matched Kyoko's feral grin as she weaved through a series of unfamiliar hand signs. Nii drew a large breath into her lungs.

Kyoko's eyes widened and she dropped her blades, her hands quickly sped through a familiar set of signs. The two girls released their Jutsu in a torrent of flames from their mouth. The stream-like fire clashed against the giant fireball. The temperature of the area skyrocketed from the heat of the Jutsu. The clashing flames fought and flickered against each other before exploding. The force of the explosion pushed the Genin pair back slightly. Both Genin on guard incase the other used the smoke for cover.

The smoke settled, Nii weaved through a second set of signs and spat out several small balls of blue fire. The blue fire followed after Kyoko as she dodged around the arena, Nii launched to intercept her in a well-coordinated trap. Most likely aiming to push Kyoko into her Jutsu. With a flick of Kyoko's wrist, several explosive tagged Kunai were flung at the flames and she parried off the bladed attack with another Kunai. Itachi's Sharingan could make out the metal of Kyoko's kunai melting at the sheer heat of Nii's Jutsu before the explosive tags dispelled the bright blue flames. Itachi absently wondered just how hot those flames were.

The battle was enthralling to watch. His heart was thundering twice as fast in his chest.

Then, it stopped and tripled, Kyoko's wild grin morphed suddenly - into one he had come to relate to her doing something stupid - as her opponent rammed their bladed strike into Kyoko's gut. In a fraction of a second fear coiled in his gut, his Sharingan hadn't picked up any fluctuation of chakra in the area. His worry immediately faded as Kyoko vanished in a puff of smoke. From the light clouds of chakra induced vapor burst what looked to be about half of Kyoko's flock of crows. Seven birds flew about the arena, dipping and diving about the concrete circle.

The Cloud Genin stood in the middle of the arena, glancing about the area in weary confusion. "Birds?"

Itachi had known that Kyoko had stolen his technique, he'd taught it to her so it couldn't really be considered stealing, but he had never seen it from this perspective before. He had only seen it when Kyoko was his opponent or from the memories of his shadow clone. It was fascinating to see his technique in a fight he had no part in.

The crowd held its breath as they searched about the small place for the Leaf girl. A poof of chakra exploded above the Cloud Kunoichi. Directly above her opponent, Kyoko appeared. The Nii reacted well to the sudden appearance of her opponent but it was too late. Itachi could see the chakra twisting in her shadow.

Kyoko crash landed on top of Nii, sending her opponent harshly to the concrete floor of the arena. Kyoko's shuriken gripped in her fingers aimed precariously close to the Cloud Genin's jugular.

The arena watched silently, breath baited to see the intention of the two Genin.

The maniacal grin slipped from Kyoko's face, a blank look replacing it; one that usually meant she was losing herself to her thoughts.

A small smile slipped onto her face in an uncharacteristic show of empathy.

"You're awesome." Kyoko said, her breath labored and her body covered in a sheen of sweat.

Nii stared at her with wide eyes, her rapid breath slowing, and she relaxed under the weight of Kyoko's Shadow Possession Jutsu. Nii seemed to watch Kyoko quietly, taking in every detail of the dark-haired girl.

"I forfeit." The Cloud Genin said.

Kyoko tossed aside her shuriken and withdrew her chakra from the girl's shadow. Kyoko held her hand out to Nii. The blonde-haired girl debated the given hand for a heavy three seconds. He had to remind himself to breath.

Itachi watched with pride as Nii took Kyoko's hand, her Nekode carefully and nimbly avoided drawing blood. Kyoko heaved the older girl onto her feet.

"Next time, the win will be mine." Nii gave a fanged grin and Kyoko matched it with equal savage.

"I look forward to it. I'm Kyoko."

"Call me Yugito."

They turned from each other. Kyoko met his red eyes as she made her way out of the arena. She flicked her hand up in a sign then twisted into another.

_Mission Success_.

And it was a success. It was more than that, it was proof. Proof that having strength could foster respect. That respect could end a battle without bloodshed.

This gave him the smallest amounts of hope for his dream.

He could, he _would,_ become strong enough. Strong enough to have respect and influence over all lands.

But first, he thought, becoming Chunin is top priority.

Kyoko joined him at the top of the arena to watch the next battle. Itachi looked over to her, she was covered in sweat and scratches leaked tiny drops of blood but other than that she seemed to be fine, in good spirits even.

"A shuriken?" He couldn't help but ask.

Kyoko shrugged, "I didn't have much else."

**m( Φ ω Φ )m "**_**Meow-Raow-Nya**_**~"**

Kyoko was Chunin.

His monstrous, adorable, wild little Genin was now a Chunin. Ruma had many mixed feelings on the situation he was now facing.

But the girl would be fine. Kyoko was strong enough to take care of herself. That wasn't his biggest concern at the moment.

His father, the Hokage, had given him the news a few days ago.

Ruma felt like a failure. Any time he took his eyes off of one of his little students, something stupidly unpredictable happened to them.

"Ruma? Darling?" The sweetest voice called out from beside him. His wife was the single most supportive and daring woman he'd ever met. Her short coffee brown hair fell in delicate whisps around her neck and her deep, dark blue eyes peered into his heart.

"My love." He called her, a hand reaching out for her to take.

She sat on the chair beside him and took his hand. Her face full of concern. He must have looked like a mess to her if she was acting like this, then again no one could really read him like she could. "What's wrong?" She asked.

He had yet to tell anyone, it only made sense to him that she'd be the first he would tell.

"Kou's missing."

She blinked at him while registering his words. She was often a victim of his long jabbers and boastings about his little Genin. She had supported him through the loss of Norumaru, had pushed him to focus on his remaining students. He had just gotten over the regret and shame of Norumaru's death. And now, he was losing another.

"What?" She asked him.

Ruma sighed heavily, "He's been reported missing for three days. I'd been wondering why the old man wasn't giving me any missions for the team, but to think that Kou actually went missing…?"

"Is it really that surprising to you?" Her words stung.

"No." Came his dejected reply.

It wasn't.

Not at all.

But it still hurt. It still filled him with worry. Kou was his student, maybe he should have been more supportive of the boy. There were so many times he could have helped to fill the hole in the boy's heart. So many ways he could have eased the boy's wounds. Why hadn't he?

"Stop beating yourself up over it." She ordered, "What's done is done. What matters is what you do from here." She was right, of course. But what could he do about it? What was there to be done?

"Do you think he went rouge?" She asked. It was possible. It wouldn't surprise him if the boy had just packed up the essentials and left to make a new life in some other town or village. Kou had the skills to get by in almost any situation. His students were well equipped with survival skills, stealth, tracking, combat and heck even some basic politics. A shinobi could live comfortably in a small town or village and never be bothered by other ninja, if they knew how to keep their heads down. Something Ruma had diligently beaten into their thick skulls.

"Well, from the way you described his behavior, it was bound to happen." She pounded him with the reality.

From the first moment he had met the trio of new Genin, Ruma could see in the boy's eyes. The angst, the loneliness, the bitter outlook on the world.

Things were different for a while, Kou bonded with his teammates in a peculiar way. A sort of comradery against their dashing Sensei. But then everything twisted again. Kyoko was running from her grief and Kou was desperately trying to hide from the truth. Everything had passed over, slowly, but there was a melancholy to the boy's usual retorts. As if something was missing. Ruma had no idea how close the boys of his team were, but it seemed they had an understanding of sorts.

"After Norumaru passed away," She continued even though he really didn't want to hear it, "Did he have anyone else?" Ruma could feel the disgrace well up inside his stomach.

"No."

"I see." Her grip tightened on his hand. "Not even the clan?"

"That situation is a bit difficult." He ran his free hand through his hair and tugged her over to sit on his lap. Her warm scent settled his negative, warping emotions. He wrapped an arm around her and kept her close. An irrational fear that she too could disappear often plagued him. She relaxed into his hold, her head rested against his shoulder.

"Kou's father had an affair with a civilian woman, who wound up giving birth to Kou, since his wife couldn't get pregnant no matter how much they tried. You can imagine how pissed off his wife was when she found out. Story goes that she stewed in her fury for a few years before poisoning her husband then drinking from the same cup." Ruma busied his hand with his wife's hair, picking and twisting at the delicate tresses. "Leaving Kou as a bastard son to some minor clan member who inherited nothing but an empty house and a monthly sum to live by. Kou wasn't even considered Inuzuka until he showed promise for tracking."

"Is that way he never had a companion?" She asked. Ruma shrugged. He honestly didn't know much more than the bare necessities of the Inuzuka clan.

"Probably."

"The Inuzuka are a pack. It's not taught to them, it's ingrained in their blood like a Kekkei Genkai. How he must have felt all this time?" She wondered.

His wife obviously knew more than him, "You know the workings of the Inuzuka?" He asked.

"A little." His wife hummed in the tone that clearly said she didn't want to talk any more about it. "Kou was the runt, it seemed. I never would have thought, from your tall tales he sounded like he had a lot of talent."

"Supposedly talent isn't enough."

"What do you think Tsume was thinking?" His wife asked. Her friendship with the Inuzuka clan head was nothing more than what was necessary between shinobi of the same village but there was still a sense of duty. Or maybe his wife was just too nosy in other people's business.

"Tsume runs her clan with an iron fist but that's only with the stuff she thinks as serious or important. Other than that, she couldn't care less about a runt when she's busy dealing with her own daughter and son. Not to mention, that little fiasco with her, ah, spouse."

"I suppose she did have her hands full."

They revealed in the silence of the night. Their son peacefully asleep, for once, and letting them have some sorely missed time together.

"And Kyoko?" His wife nailed his next worry head on.

He didn't know what to tell the girl. She had just been promoted, she was likely swarmed in the change between ranks and Ruma didn't want her to be too distracted. But he knew that the girl would soon notice something was wrong when they wouldn't be getting missions. Or if she couldn't sense Kou in the village for too long. She may even go after the Inuzuka boy. There were too many variables, too many things she could do. Of course he could stop her but then it was likely she would hate him for it. He didn't need his only student left despising him. Wouldn't that just be the icing on the cake? His bitter thoughts taunted him.

"You should tell her and soon, before she figures it out." His wife's advise had saved him more often than not. Her people skills were overall better than his so he usually just followed along with it. He would this time too. He sighed.

"I'll tell her tomorrow. If she wants to hunt him down then I'll go with her. If not, then, well, I don't really know."

She turned in his lap and threaded her arms around his neck, bringing his head into her soft brown hair.

"Things will work out. They're your students after all." Her reassurance calmed his uneasy heart.

"I'd be lost without you, my love."

She hummed her reply. Her fingers ran through his hair in a soothing rhythm.


	8. Chapter 8

So. this chapter is a little late. Oops? 

**Warning: **This chapter contains gore.

Let's just get right into it, yeah?

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

Being Chunin was boring. Not as boring as Genin had been but it was still boring. The missions were less dull and chore-like but now she was expected to develop a role in leadership. Kyoko found leading a bunch of Genin, majority being older than her, tedious and testing on her patience. She wasn't cut out to lead around ignorant brats that did nothing but question her ability. The number of times she had to use the 'I am the Chunin' card was downright bothersome.

She had been a Chunin for a month. And what a crazy, stupid month it had been. First, she had one of those bothersome tournaments. Thankfully she still had her freedom but she had become cocky and nearly messed up her game, luckily recovered and rebounded enough to pull off a win.

Then her Sensei showed up at her home and took her out to a Ramen stand to get lunch and talk, a really good Ramen stand, by the way. Kyoko had not been expecting the whole 'Kou is missing' ordeal. She could feel his chakra flickering in its low vibration. He was fine and in the village, so what the hell was her Sensei talking about? She kept this information to herself until she confronted her dumbass teammate. But she did reassure her Sensei after taking note of the darkening bags under his eyes.

After that ordeal, Kyoko had been slammed with mission after mission with barley enough time for reprise in between. Over the course of the entire month, she hadn't been able to meet with either Shisui or Itachi. She hardly had enough time in the Nara forest and had taken to spending her free time on her missions to meditate, which wasn't all that often.

But then, finally, she had some time. Three whole days to herself. The first day had been spent in bed and the Nara forest. The second, she went around visiting anyone and everyone she could. And now, on the third and final day of her time, she was stuck tracking down that dumbass of a teammate.

It didn't take her all that long, he was wandering around the villages main streets. He had been doing that for weeks, which led to a lot of confusion on Kyoko's part. It was only when she spotted him that she realized.

She snuck up on her teammate, grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and, with a yelp, dragged him away with a silent body-flicker Jutsu. The pair stopped not far off from the main shopping district but still tucked away from prying eyes.

Kyoko turned and looked at Kou, "You stupid mutt." She spat. The dog growled harshly at her. "Don't give me that growling bullshit, what the hell are you doing? You've been reported missing! The Uchiha Police force have been investigating the Inuzuka, now the two clans are butt heads. Sensei had been losing sleep over you, too!"

The grey-brown mutt turned away from her and sat, staring at nothing. Kyoko sighed and rubbed at her forehead with the tips of her fingers. "You can talk to me, you know? I haven't told anyone about you… Yet."

Silent seconds lingered and passed.

In a puff of white translucent smoke, Kou undid the transformation Jutsu. He sat slumped on the ground, refusing to turn to meet her. Kyoko said nothing and waited. She analyzed his appearance, he looked scruffier than usual. She briefly wondered if he had ever returned home, but then immediately dismissed the idea. Of course he hadn't, he was stupid and stubborn, but he wasn't dumb. If he had returned to his home while the Military Police was stirring about then he would no doubt gain the interest of someone, even if he was just a wandering mutt, it was against Shinobi instinct to overlook even the smallest details.

"I've had enough." Kou finally said. Kyoko waited in silence, giving him room to speak his mind. "That house is cold and empty. The Inuzuka are a clan but most of the time, I don't feel like I have any part in it."

Kyoko could understand that, a clan was different to family after all. Sure, there were blood-ties but while blood was thicker than water, water ran deeper.

"You can't keep running away, it won't help."

Kou sighed at her words, "I know that, alright? But it was so nice, just being a random mutt on the street. I was free to do what I liked without the weight of expectations on me, some kids would play with me, I can get food easily enough. I'm happy like this. The happiest I've been since…"

Since Norumaru died. Kyoko didn't know why their passed teammate left such a deep scar on Kou, she didn't have the heart to bring it up.

Kyoko looked at the clouded sky rolling on by. "At least tell Sensei and Lord Hokage. You're an active Shinobi."

"I… don't want to."

Kyoko frowned, "Why?"

Kou sighed, "I've let Sensei down."

"He was really worried about you."

Kou turned to her with a raised eyebrow of disbelief and Kyoko shrugged, "He dragged me out for Ramen and was all like, 'Kou's gone missing. If you want to drag his ass back, count me in.' Very dramatic."

Kou just frowned at her with a half-smile, "Your impressions need work, there's no way he said that."

Kyoko shrugged again, "That's basically what he said, how I heard his blubbering anyway."

Kou fell into silence again and Kyoko left him to his thoughts until finally, he stood from the ground and nodded to her, "Alright."

"Great," She walked over to Kou and grabbed his hand to prevent his escape, "Sensei is with the Hokage right now, so let's hit two birds with one stone, yeah?" Kyoko took satisfaction in the widening of his eyes, "Wha'?" And she dragged him along in her body-flicker Jutsu once again.

She slipped them through one of the open windows and into the hallways, stopping just outside the Hokage office. At the entrance, two ANBU stood guard. They turned to them and stared through their animal shaped masks.

She gave Kou a short amount of time to collect himself before addressing the two guarding ANBU. "We need to see Lord Hokage and our Jounin Sensei please." Kyoko asked, ignoring her teammates heated glare.

She was met with a spending silence before one of them vanished and the door was ripped open. Kyoko watched as Ruma-Sensei dragged his eyes from her to the boy standing stiffly behind her.

"Get in here, you damn brats." Woah, he sounded pissed. Kyoko and Kou shared a look before walking into the Hokage's office.

The office was tense and silent. Its uncomfortable feeling gave Kyoko deja vu.

"I'm sorry." Kou broke the silence.

The two elders of the room stared at the boy. "Where have you been?" Came Sensei's hardened voice.

Kou shuffled nervously, "I was in the village, just hanging around."

Her Sensei frowned and the Hokage raised a brow, "There was a search when the missing persons request was made. If you were in the village, then the Jounin should have found you at some point." The Hokage said, he either didn't believe Kou or he was pondering the abilities of his Jounin. "Not to mention, the Uchiha police force had taken up an investigation that yielded no results."

"Speak the truth, Kou. How did you avoid being found if you were in the village this entire time?" Ruma-Sensei asked.

Kou seemed at a loss for words, the search and investigation was probably news to him. Kyoko, being the supportive teammate she was, decided to help Kou out a little.

"Kou and I have been developing on a basic technique that has proven extremely effective in unconventional ways." Kyoko offered, gaining the attention and interest of the adults. She watched from the corner of her eye as Kou relaxed a little when their heavy gaze shifted from him.

"Which is?" The Hokage asked.

She hadn't been wanting to tell others of it, because of how stupidly useful and universal it was but now she had no choice. "The transformation technique."

This earned her matching looks from the Father and Son. The Hokage laced his fingers together and peered at them in intrigue, "Do explain."

"By using the transformation technique, Kou and I have trained ourselves to take on the form of an animal. I used this during the third portion of the Chunin Exam at the end of my fight. By turning into a crow, I was able to blend in with the rest of my flock and avoid my opponent's awareness." Kyoko explained, trying to lighten their moods and distract them with extra detail.

"Yes, I remember something like that." The Hokage began, "So, in what animal form did you wander around the village, Kou?"

Kou stared at the Hokage's desk, "A dog."

The room fell silent again.

"Why?" Their Sensei asked.

"I don't want to go back there anymore. I didn't belong anyway."

Sensei frowned, "By living on the streets as a dog?"

Kou didn't respond.

"He was happy." Kyoko said, earning her a betrayed glare from the boy. Her Sensei didn't seem to know how to respond to that.

"It is impressive, to say the least, that with a basic transformation technique you were able to avoid all detection from our shinobi." The Hokage said. Kyoko could see the gears turning. "I can't overlook one of my Ninja living on the streets of the village without access to basic needs, but I also can't pass up the opportunity you've presented." These words grabbed the attention of the entire room.

"You will continue to carry out your missions as a Shinobi of the Leaf. These roles may require your particular Canine preference."

Kou frowned in confusion, "Meaning?"

"Idiot, he's saying you can keep being a mutt. It's a good disguise and has unique benefits on missions, like a Ninken." Kyoko said, earning another glare and an elbow from Kou.

"You sure, Old man?" her Sensei asked.

"Yes, however," he turned his eyes to Kou, "You're forbidden from sleeping on the streets of the village unless a mission requires it of you. Either return to your residence or find a new home."

"I don't want to go back." Kou said.

Lord Hokage nodded his head and picked up his resting pipe. The old man filled the pipe with tobacco then set flame to the bowl. Purple smoke trailed out from the corner of his mouth. Kyoko saw Kou twitch at the smell. "The village can sell the property on your behalf and add the money to the next mission payment."

Kou nodded in reply and glared at the ground. "Sensei…" he started, looking up at the Jounin leader, "Could I…" he trailed off and fidgeted.

It was so painful to watch, Kyoko found. So painful, that she sighed and put the room out of its awkward misery. "He wants to stay with you, Sensei."

Ruma-Sensei blinked in confusion at first then pondered, "I have a wife and kid at home." Kyoko spotted the dejected look on Kou's face as he turned away, "But if you don't mind a nagging woman and a screaming brat then you're more than welcome."

Kou snapped back to Sensei and grinned, "Screaming brats like dogs though, right?"

Finally, the tension melted from the room and Kyoko breathed a sigh of relief.

"Seeing as you're already here, there is another matter to discuss." The Hokage announced. Kyoko met the Hokage's piercing gaze. "Before your arrival, I had been trying convincing your Sensei regarding Kyoko's shinobi career. How do you feel about becoming part of Anbu, Kyoko?"

Kyoko blinked she processed the information, "I want to."

The Hokage took another drag from the pipe, "Good."

"From now on then, I'll be training you specifically for ANBU." Said Sensei with a sigh, "While your skills are good, you're still missing a few things here and there."

"You'll be given three months of intensive training and preparation for a mission, that mission will determine whether you will be accepted or not." Lord Hokage explained.

Kyoko nodded, not outwardly showing the giddy excitement building up in her. She knew the old man had a plan or two for her. Ever since talking to him in that early morning all those months ago, she knew the ball was moving. Her missions were more demanding than ever before, more was expected of her.

She didn't know why the old man wanted her in Anbu, so badly that he was rushing it. She was a fresh Chunin, it would usually take someone like her at least several years to even be considered for Anbu. She knew the village was low on shinobi but was the situation really this bad?

Either way, right now, it didn't matter. This was her opportunity to get stronger, to develop more as a shinobi.

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

Hiruzen Sarutobi was aware of Danzo and his personality. He was aware but he did nothing.

That was the deal.

They would stay out of each other's business in favor of not making an extremely testing enemy out of each other. Hiruzen did, in fact, still see Danzo as his comrade and friend but years of stepping on each other's toes had quelled any feelings that could lead him to hesitate. But they still danced around each other in the power grab of the village.

Danzo wanted to be Hokage, that much was obvious, he questioned Hiruzen's methods loudly to the other Elders causing the scales to ever teeter back and forth. Danzo had other ideas on how the village should be run, and if Hiruzen had anything to do with it, they would stay as nothing more than ideas.

"If only there were more Shinobi like Uchiha Itachi," Danzo started, "That teacher of his has let so much potential go to waste. He should have been promoted long ago." His old teammate stood across from him on the opposite of his desk.

"Lately, every time you come over, you end up talking about Uchiha Itachi." Hiruzen said between puffs on his pipe, leaning back on his chair.

Danzo regarded him, the bandaged man's eye narrowed at the pipe, not bothering to hide his dissatisfaction.

"I am only saying that those two years of being a Genin was a loss for both Itachi and the village."

Hiruzen emptied his pipe on the pale dish on his desk and refilled the tobacco. Danzo's ever piercing half-stare didn't change at all even as he winced at the smell of the smoke. To Hiruzen, the sent was pleasant so he cared none. Even if he was a Shinobi, the Hokage didn't partake on secret missions so there was no need to worry about the smell lingering on himself.

Hiruzen turned to his old friend, "Just as you said, it's been five months since he was promoted to Chunin. And Itachi has carried out his missions almost too perfectly. Even on missions using Genin, he has such a grasp on each of their areas of specialization, and gives impeccable orders, it's hard to believe he's only eleven."

"So you agree, that teacher of his should have been able to recognize such talent."

"Better to think of it as necessary experience." Hiruzen stated, earning no response from Danzo, no response said out loud anyway. No doubt there were some remarks running around Danzo's head. There always was. It showed in his eyes no matter how much Danzo tried to disguise it. Or perhaps it was just that Hiruzen had long learnt how to read the man.

"Speaking of…" He started, "Lately, long hours of desk work tire me out. Maybe I'm just old." He was old. He should be retired by now. Minato should have been the one sitting here, having this conversation, working these papers, running the village. Minato should be the one scolding his son for running around the village so recklessly. Hiruzen set aside his old regrets.

"That's your job." Danzo said.

"Not a single word of sympathy for me?" Hiruzen asked. Danzo must be in a passive mood if he hadn't taken the bait. It didn't matter, this mood of his may help him become more open than the other two Elders.

"Tell me the story you were about to start."

Hiruzen couldn't help snorting a little at how his friend hadn't changed, even after all these years, Danzo was still as unapproachable as ever. He had already had this conversation twice over, Hiruzen steeled himself for the third time. "Uchiha Fugaku made an interesting proposal. He sounded the idea of Itachi joining Anbu."

"I see." Came Danzo's response.

"Fugaku says that Itachi likely won't be able to use his abilities to the fullest in the Military Police. He isn't looking at Itachi as his own son, but from an objective perspective; he thinks Itachi possesses unparalleled talents as a ninja." Hiruzen continued, "He says it's his duty as a father to guide his son to a place where he can fully use that genius. And so, he came to me about the possibilities of the boy joining Anbu." Hiruzen waited for the snarky response. For a rebuttal to the idea, maybe a few comments of the audacity of the Uchiha to try and integrate into central matters of the village. But nothing came.

"Homura and Koharu are totally opposed. They say it's preposterous to have an Uchiha in Anbu, given its status as a special unit under direct control of the Hokage. They asked me if I'd forgotten about how the Second Hokage had established the Military Police." Hiruzen had to stop himself from scoffing. As if he could forget, the entire affair was a political mess that led to the growing animosity that was now Hiruzen's to deal with.

"The Military Police force was created to drive the Uchiha clan away from the central functions of the village." Danzo acknowledged the bitter truth. Though, to his old friend, it likely wasn't all that bitter of a pill to swallow.

"Mm." Hiruzen settled for humming in response, packing the tobacco in his pipe again, waiting for Danzo to make his move. Danzo frowned at the pipe, "Maybe you could stop while we are discussing important business, at least."

Important? Hiruzen didn't react to his words other than shrugging and setting his pipe down. If Danzo viewed this as important business, then he was likely intrigued. But for what purpose?

"They went as far as to bring up your name, you know?" 'They' being the other two Elders, Homura and Koharu. "Even if they did eventually agree to the boy being in Anbu, what would you say, given your dislike of the Uchiha line? Nothing but push back from those two." Hiruzen complained. Sometimes, a lot of the time actually, Koharu and Homura sided with Danzo and his utilitarian views. Ways of the past have been too permanently ingrained into them through the wars they all had to endure in their life.

Danzo frowned silently, Hiruzen had been expecting something of a negative response but now he wasn't too sure what the bandaged man was thinking. Hiruzen needed to push him, couldn't allow Danzo to think on the matter for too long. "So you're also-"

"Can't we just let him in?"

There it was. Although he wasn't expecting Danzo to come out so strong in his statement. All in all, it was spacious.

"I know you're partial to Itachi, but I thought you would've shown some disapproval of putting him in Anbu." Hiruzen stated. Danzo was interested in Itachi. That much had been true from the moment he pressed for the Uchiha boy to be pushed through the Chunin Exams solo. Danzo wanted Itachi as his own piece in the Root.

"Itachi is the sort of ninja you see maybe once every hundred years. Even if he is Uchiha, we cannot afford not to take advantage of everything he has to offer the village." Danzo said in response to Hiruzen's feigned suspicions.

"That answer's very you." He falsely reassured, nodding as show of convincing himself. "If you approve, then I don't have any objections to Itachi joining the Anbu, either." Not that he had any objections in the first place. "To eliminate the rivalry between the village and the Uchihas, we need to first win over the hearts of the young people. Bringing Itachi into the center life of the village should be a good opportunity for that." He paused, his hand itched for his pipe but he restrained himself.

"But Itachi's only eleven, we need to see that he's ready for the Anbu." Hiruzen offered.

"A mission to join the Anbu, hm?" Danzo said, a common form of trialing potential candidates for Anbu.

Hiruzen watched the greedy glint in Danzo's eyes and responded, "Exactly."

His old friend took the bait. "Would you leave that to me?"

Hiruzen nodded and after that, it didn't take long for Danzo to leave.

Good, this was near perfect.

Itachi. Itachi, Itachi, Uchiha Itachi.

Keep your eyes on the bright, genius talent, old friend and become blind to the flair in the shadows.

"Spider." Hiruzen called. Upon his summon, the Anbu knelt before him awaiting her orders. It had taken time, patience and some pushing through the system, side-stepping his Elders, all to get this single girl under his direct authority. "Keep track of Danzo and everyone he has contact with over the next week. Until Uchiha Itachi is given his mission."

"Yes sir." The girl's long black ponytail fell over the blade strapped in its sheath over her back, despite her short stature the light grey uniform of the Anbu suited her. It had taken a lot of effort to keep this girl away from the wandering eyes of Danzo, the result of it had been the buildup of Uchiha Itachi but thankfully the boy could live up to the talk of his reputation. Hiruzen felt like he made the right choice of placing Kyoko into his son's team. Aiming from the very beginning to have her inducted into the Anbu as one of his own. Originally, he had needed her for only the purpose of her two friends, but as she had grown and developed, she had gained a unique and extremely useful arsenal of techniques.

Hiruzen now had two out of three. He had no doubt that with both Kyoko and Shisui at his side, Itachi wouldn't be far behind. Unlike his tunnel-vision friend, Hiruzen took it upon himself to remember his shinobi as more than soldiers. It was far more informative to remember them as people. Far easier to predict how they would respond to certain situations, which was imperative to assigning missions.

Anyone who looked at Itachi from anything other than a militaristic perspective would note his solitary and mature nature. Yet the boy clung to his two friends. And they to him. There was no separating the trio. It was a bond that went deeper than most. Danzo could try and twist the boy, but the final say was always with the Hokage.

"You may return to your Captain."

"Sir." She acknowledged and vanished.

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

Kyoko left home early, like usual. She had training with her squad at dawn.

She had adapted fast to the life of Anbu, in fact, she enjoyed it. It was a feeling she'd never had before, when she put on her mask, she felt like she could do anything. And the people on her team were incredible. Strong, intelligent and reliable. When they worked together, they got both into and out of situations more conflicted and catastrophic than she could have possibly imagined.

She arrived at the third training ground to find four of her team already waiting, there was still time for the other members of team Ro to show up.

"You're later than usual." Said one of her squad mates said from up in the tree. This training grounds was a favorite of her Captains. It was similar to the one she grew up training in, most of them were similar, but this one was divided by a shallow and slow part of the Naka river. There was a nice little clearing and a large wooded area that made it ideal for most training.

Her squad mate jumped down from the tree she was waiting in. Yugao Uzuki, donned in a matching Anbu attire, a cat-like mask with three stripes and plum purple hair, strolled up to Kyoko with a hand on her blade. "We have a few minutes before the Captain shows up, how about it?"

Kyoko was used to this, it had happened often over the last few weeks, this was Yugao's way of helping Kyoko solidify her position in both the squad and Anbu. While Kyoko's age had never been disclosed, there were people around the village that knew of her, she was the Heiress of the Nara clan but most people couldn't match her name to her face and she had decided to avoid taking her mask off while in uniform. It probably didn't help that she didn't really socialize anymore with people outside of her circle.

Kyoko rested her hand on her blade and flickered. Yugao was talented with the sword and Kyoko thoroughly enjoyed sparring with her. It was a nice little warm-up before their training sessions, no chakra, no flashy surprises, just technique against technique. Kyoko had been trained in Kenjutsu for years now, her tanto was just another part of her body, so she had no problem keeping up with Yugao despite the girl being several years older than her.

They sparred for a few short minutes, dancing around each other and their attacks, parrying strikes here and there.

"That's enough, save your energy." Their Captain appeared at the edge of the forest with the remainder of Team Ro. "We've got a long one ahead of us."

"A mission?" Taneka, who wore a mask that resembled a turtle with red markings wrapped around his eyes.

"Yeah." Their Captain in a dog mask said, his only other notable feature was his moonlight silver hair.

The squad gathered around their Captain, waiting for details. Kyoko sheathed her blade.

"A week ago, Anbu team Ri was responsible for the investigation into the production of a small village's weaponry. They haven't been heard from since." Their Captain explained.

A contemplative silence fell over the squad of eight. "That's unusual." Said Taneka.

"Our mission is to continue the investigation and locate Team Ri."

No one directly replied to the Captain's words for a moment. "What about the weaponry? It's a small village so there shouldn't be much retaliation, right?" Asked Sumire, who wore the mask of a fish with red hooks on the eyes and a large circle on the forehead.

Their Captain handed over a scroll to Sumire, who unraveled it and frowned at its contents before passing it over to Yugao beside him.

"Until recently, the village was only a blacksmithing village. Then they started producing paper bombs and scaling scrolls, among other paper-based weaponry."

"They have a sealer?" Taneka replied in a shocked voice. Yugao passed the scroll over to Kyoko. The picture of a man with long hair pulled to one side and fox-like eyes greeted her. She memorized the face of the man before passing on the scroll over to Ko.

"The picture is of the suspected sealing specialists. We aren't sure though, so keep an open mind." The Captain continued, "What's special about this village, however, is that it falls in a grey area between borders of the Land of Fire and the Land of Hot Water."

"Then there's chance of interference?" Tonu asked, brushing his short grey hair away from the three stripped bear mask.

Captain shook his head, "Unlikely. The hidden Hot Water village actively strive for peace. They only ever reluctantly battle with other Shinobi in dire situations. They're mostly pacifists."

"Then what happened to Team Ri?" Kyoko asked, "Is there an unknown third party?"

"Most likely."

"So, we're to look into this third party?" Ko asked, his thin-eyed reptilian mask bore two purple stripes on each side of his face and a dark mess of hair framed it well.

Their Captain shook his silver head, "No. As it is only a hypothesis, we are to focus on procuring a trade agreement with the village and locate Team Ri. There is to be no engaging with anyone suspected of removing team Ri for anything other than interrogation."

In other words, Kyoko theorized, whoever was on Team Ri should have been capable enough to defeat most enemy, anyone capable of taking them out would be too strong for Team Ro to handle.

"Any more questions?" The Captain was met with silence, anything else would be told to them later. "Let's head out then."

Kyoko and the rest of the Anbu squad moved quickly through the village, out the gates and into the forest beyond. Travel would take almost seven hours, maybe stopping once for lunch and rerouting.

They arrived at the small village shortly after midday, making exceptional time.

"From here, we'll divide into two teams. Tenzo will lead Carp, Turtle and Spider to search for Team Ri. The rest will follow me in disguise and infiltrate the village, locate the sealing specialist and work on getting a trade agreement." Their Captain nodded at Tenzo, donned in a cat mask with green stripes and a red half-moon cupping each eye. Tenzo was their Captains right hand man, his go to, and for good reason. Tenzo was strong, cleaver, cautious and loyal. An ideal Shinobi in the Anbu ranks, Kyoko had been told that Tenzo was born into the Anbu. This was just gossip, although it did explain how no one knew his actual name.

"Let's head out." Said Tenzo. The group of three followed their assigned leader without any hesitation or argument. They moved deeper into the forest and out of the way of the village. They stopped high in the trees as Tenzo signaled the group to stop. He pulled out a small map from his scroll and placed it down on the sturdy tree. The four of them all gathered around the map.

"Before we start, Spider, is there any sign of other Shinobi in the area anywhere nearby." Tenzo asked.

Kyoko shook her head, "No. None."

Tenzo frowned "Then it's likely that we're searching for corpses." That was the bleak reality of was Kyoko had already devised. "We'll divide this area here," He pointed into the Northern most area, "Into smaller sections and search for anything suspicious section by section. If we work in teams of two, we should be able to move through the sections efficiently enough." Kyoko looked at the area they had to cover. It would probably take them the rest of the day to find anything. That was assuming that they were looking in the right area.

"Tomorrow, we will cover the East, then the south the day after and so on. After that, we will look into expanding our search radius and other varying possibilities." Tenzo explained. It seemed that this mission could take a while, Kyoko thought. "That should give Senpai and the others enough time to deal with the matters in the village before regrouping and joining the search. Carp, you're with me."

That meant that Kyoko would be pairing up with Taneka in the area search. That was fine, Kyoko worked well enough with the older man in the turtle mask. "Let's get this started, then." He said.

Three days. They searched the North and the East with no signs of team Ri. In the south however, Taneka was the one to notice. The smell gave it away. It led the pair into a tucked away cave at the foot of a smaller cliffside drop. Taneka led the way into the cave, Kyoko close behind. Taneka froze as the cave widened deeper within. Kyoko stepped around and paused beside him.

She resisted the urge to vomit at the sight, there wasn't much other than food pills in her stomach anyway.

The large number of bodies that were lined along the walls and piled on the floor were difficult to count. Taneka reached into his Kunai pouch and pulled out a roll of fabric. He took off his porcelain turtle mask and tied the fabric over his mouth and nose before replacing the mask. It was the first time she had seen his face and he was surprisingly normal. Kyoko had half expected a scar of some sorts marking his face, but all that was there were brown eyes and pale skin. Taneka handed another piece of cloth to her. "Here, you never know what could be festering here with this amount of bodies."

Kyoko took it, following his example. She took her mask off and tightly secured the fabric over her mouth and nose before replacing the spider-like mask.

"You're young." He said, taking note of her facial features.

"And you're not."

He clicked his teeth, "Cheeky brat." Then walked on into the cave further.

Kyoko followed after, the fabric and porcelain masks did nothing to stop the imposing stench of decay.

The corpses were in varying states, those of fresher deaths were pale from blood loss while the older cadaver were putrid, yellow mounds of rotten and fetid flesh and puss with an amalgamation of decomposed organs and broken bones. Several suffered burns, most a multitude of lacerations and bruising. All of this painted a vulgar picture of both practiced and newly learnt forms of torture, slow and cruel before the blessed touch of death.

Kyoko stopped at an older looking man who had been stripped of clothes. He sat slumped against the cold stone naked, emaciated as what was left of his rotting flesh was burrowed through by the writhing maggots. There was a long cut directly down the center of his chest, likely a blunt blade with how the veins hadn't been cut, but snagged by the tool and dragged downwards to tangle with the organs and shattered ribs. Kyoko forced her eyes not to linger any further the glossy look of his eyes and instead they trailed to the man's left arm where a swirling tattoo stood proudly against tan skin. "Turtle." Kyoko called the older Anbu over.

The man stopped and analyzed the deceased Anbu's face and body. "This is Nakamaru, a member of Team Ri." Taneka identified. Kyoko wondered if Taneka had worked with this Nakamaru before. She cast aside her unnecessary thoughts, "If he's here, then the rest of his team probably is too."

"Yes," Taneka agreed, "Team Ri is a smaller squad made for stealth and information gathering. There should only be two others." Unfortunately, that meant the two of them needed to search for the remaining members of team Ri.

"Should I send a crow to Tenzo and the Captain?" Kyoko asked.

"Just Tenzo for now, we don't know what type of situation the others are in at the moment." Kyoko nodded and pricked her finger on a shuriken in her pouch. In a small puff of smoke, one of her flock appeared. "Toushi, I need you to find Tenzo and lead him here."

Toushi looked around the cave, "The lady finds herself in problematic situations, nowadays."

Kyoko sighed at the bird and shooed him with a hand. Toushi took flight for the entrance of the cave without any other comments. After picking the remains of the two other members of Team Ri from the mounds of foul flesh, Kyoko and Taneka opted to wait for Tenzo and Sumire outside of the cave.

They dropped down from the trees as they arrived. Toushi perched himself in the trees above, not yet undoing the summoning jutsu. The bird was probably curious. Despite his well mannerisms, he was a gossip that loved spreading rumors to the other birds.

"What have you found?" Tenzo asked from behind his multicolored cat mask.

"What's that smell?" Sumire turned away from the stench of the cave.

"There are about forty corpses in there," Taneka nodded towards the cave, "Among them are those of Team Ri." Tenzo and Sumire both looked into the entrance of the dark cave.

"Anything else?" Tenzo asked.

"There was a symbol painted in blood on the ground and all of the bodies have traces of torture and likely had prolonged deaths." Kyoko summarized their findings.

"A cult?" Sumire theorized out loud and Kyoko shrugged.

"The victims?"

"They vary. Men, women and children. Young and old. Seems like there wasn't much discrimination." Taneka replied.

"You've confirmed Team Ri's identities?" Tenzo asked and Taneka nodded in reply. Tenzo hummed and looked to the sun beginning its fall in the sky, "We will stake out the cave and see if anyone returns until Senpai and the others finish up on their end."

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

"Wait. Hold on…" Shisui stared in confusion at the Hokage sat at his desk, "Itachi's joining Anbu? Isn't he too young?" The idea that the Hokage himself would let an Uchiha into the Anbu filled Shisui with the faintest flicker of hope.

Itachi was the best Uchiha to even consider as Anbu. Not by his strength or his potential, but by his goals and ethics. Itachi desperately wanted to rid the Uchiha of their fostering hatred towards the village, he wanted to gain the villages support so that the Uchiha wouldn't be judged so simply. If Itachi could establish himself in the Anbu, if he could become a pillar in the village as a trusted and powerful shinobi then perhaps, maybe, Itachi could even aim for the Hokage's position.

"Even though Itachi is young, he is superbly talented, and we feel that he would be best suited for missions suited to his caliber." The Hokage replied, his hands folded together and his eyes peered at Shisui as if reading every twitch of muscle, every intake of breath. The Hokage was an intelligent and powerful man, sometimes Shisui felt small when he stood in this office alone. But he was thankful that the village was in his care, the third Hokage had led them through many struggles but the village was still held together tightly enough. For now.

"Danzo Shimura is assigning a mission to Itachi in order to test Itachi's capabilities. I have no doubt that the boy will come to you for aid. I requested that Itachi should be able to choose his own companion, Danzo seemed to agree." The Hokage explained.

"Why are you so sure?" Shisui asked.

"You are the only person that Itachi trusts." The graying man said. Shisui frowned, he was flattered that the Hokage thought this, but it wasn't entirely correct "What of Kyoko?" Shisui asked.

Shisui noticed the Hokage blink, a contemplating look behind his eyes. "Let me rephrase, then. You are the only person Itachi trusts that is currently in the village." Lord Hokage said.

"Kyoko's on a mission?" Conveniently timed, Shisui couldn't help but think. "She's been on a lot of missions lately, Itachi and I have hardly heard from her." Shisui dared to wonder out loud, not quite out rightly questing his leader. Shisui wouldn't admit to the nerves that welled up in the silent seconds that followed. While his loyalty and dedication to the village had gotten him this close to the inner circle of affairs, away from the prejudice and wary eyes, he was still Uchiha.

"Anbu is a demanding position, after all." The Hokage finally replied. Surprise filled him on two accounts, "Kyoko's in Anbu?" He questioned.

"This is an S-ranked secret, so I am sure you can forgive her for keeping her friends in the dark. As I am sure that you will also." Shisui went from shocked to wildly confused. Why was Kyoko in Anbu and why the hell was it an S-ranked secret?

Shisui, out of pure worry for his dear friend, felt the need to know more. It likely showed on his face because the Hokage continued to explain, "You were once approached by Danzo himself, with the promise of breaking free from the Uchiha name and joining the ranks of the Foundation. But you refused his offer. Now Danzo has turned his attention onto Itachi and because of this, Kyoko has managed to slip entirely under his radar. The talent that Kyoko possesses is ironically best suited for an organization such as the foundation, but if she were to fall under Danzo's command then her potential that is in her Will of Fire will be snuffed out."

"And what of Itachi?" Shisui asked.

"With Kyoko and yourself aiding him, Itachi will surely retain his current ideals and goals." The Hokage said confidently.

"Why… are you telling me all of this?" Shisui asked.

"You have proven yourself over and over again. I asked you once to watch over those two and train them as best you could, you've done well in this."

"I would have done that either way."

"I'm aware. I want to eliminate this darkness between the Uchiha and the village. That's what you two are after, isn't it?" Shisui's thoughts went back to the last Uchiha gathering, where Fugaku had openly declared that Itachi wasn't suited for the Military Police and would instead aim for Anbu, to become a spy for the clan. Fugaku had been met with negative response from the clan members initially but it was eventually accepted. Shisui's thoughts wandered, shortly after that Itachi had spoke his mind to the clan for the first time.

'_We are all comrades of the same village. The Senju and the people of Konoha are still our comrades… We should stop creating this distance and doing things to fan the flames of rivalry.'_

He was naive to say those words out loud, surely Itachi regretted it. But his words were true, that was the best thing that the Uchiha clan could do. Unfortunately, the members of the Uchiha clan felt like they had been wronged so they pushed the blame onto the village, too blinded by their own beliefs to look at themselves and bigger picture.

"I want the Uchiha and the village to be considered one in the same, like any other clan in the Leaf. I'll do whatever it takes." That was all that Shisui wished for, even though it seemed so simple in words it was beginning to feel like a goal that was more and more out of reach every day.

"The situation gets worse and worse by the day, that is why it is imperative that Itachi becomes Anbu. His promotion will buy some time, giving the Uchiha something to invest in." The Hokage said, "As a Jounin of the village, you are cleared to take on only certain missions and information. That is why, to the village, you will remain a Jounin but you will report directly to me like any of my Anbu." The best thing for the village was for the Uchiha to finally become a part of it, the Hokage wanted the Uchiha. Their goals were aligned. Shisui understood.

He was Shisui of the Body-flicker.

Shisui of the Leaf.

But he was still an Uchiha.

"I understand, Lord Hokage." Shisui bowed.

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

Three nights and four days they watched the cave.

No one was really expecting the killer, or anyone for that matter, to return. So, when Kyoko felt the sickening chakra get closer and closer, making their way through the forested land, she immediately alerted the rest of the squad. The four of them watched in silence, high in the trees, as the figure dragged themselves from the tree line and limped towards the cave.

Tenzo raised his hand, not once taking his eyes off of the injured unknown. His hands twisted through four signs.

Surround. Interrogate. Respond. Go!

They leapt from the trees and surrounded the man.

"Well, well… Hehehe." The unknown man giggled in a tone that sent a chill down her spine. "You lot look something familiar. But that's not possible, no, no. Not at all possible."

Just a few words from the man's mouth and Kyoko was set immediately on edge. Her hand wrapped around her blade.

"Not. I wonder, perhaps I killed someone like you. Perhaps, are you family? I'd like to have you suffer together, a very delightful notion." The injured man cackled.

"Who are you?" Tenzo demanded.

"Me? Who? I'm nothing, no one. Ah, but I'm a servant. Yes, a servant. I am servant."

"A servant? Of whom?" Sumire asked, Kunai in hand and ready to strike.

"The only true god of this world! I am a servant. Nothing before my Lord! A failed. But there was a successor, yes, yes. So the Lord will be pleased, and that is pleasing." Blood dripped down his right arm and there was a large stein on his stomach and chest. The more Kyoko looked at the psycho before her, the more she felt disbelief overtake her. How was this man even standing with the sheer amount of injuries and blood he had lost?

"Failure. But you'll help me please my Lord. Okay? You're help." The man was standing there before her, teetering from side to side.

Then he was gone, he had moved forward straight into Taneka's direction and he let lose and strangled gasp. They stood face to face, Kyoko couldn't properly see what was happening, she was still lost in the stupor of shock and surprise that a half dead man could possibly move so fast.

The man cackled again as he stood back enough for Kyoko to see his hand buried in the stomach of Taneka. Blood began to stein through the pale grey of the Anbu uniform. She couldn't pull her eyes away from the sight as the psychotic man slowly pulled out his hand, dragging blood and something else with it. Taneka stared at the hand slowly crushing the mangled entrails as he pulled them from Taneka's body pulled out from his body. Frozen still, Tenzo, Sumire and Kyoko watched their comrade fall to the ground.

The man shuddered, "My Lord. Isn't this pleasing?" He moaned in delight.

Kyoko felt her insides burn in fury, in disgust, in hatred. She felt every inch of her body react before she could even process what was happening. In the fraction of a second, the man had turned from Taneka to Sumire, then his head rolled on the floor.

The man's body was reached out, centimeters before Sumire. A dull glow of chakra on fingertips, ready to pierce through the bone of Sumire's skull, faded away. Kyoko's blade dripped with the man's blood as his body dropped to the floor.

The remaining three watched with bated breath for a moment, Sumire let out a shuddering breath as his wide-eyes expression dropped and he collapsed to the grassy floor, arms resting on his knees and his head between his legs, drawing breath after breath to calm his nerves.

Kyoko stared at the body, her blade lowered but she couldn't move. Her muscles ached and they felt like a spring, tightened to that painful point just before it broke.

"Spider."

Her eyes quickly shifted to Tenzo beside her. The porcelain mask stared in her direction but that was the only indication that she was being watched. Slowly, her muscles began to relax, her chakra returned to its normal flow around her body and her emotions settled.

"Arhg." Taneka groaned from the ground, his hands wrapped around a wound as a pool of red grew around him.

Tenzo knelt down beside Taneka, looking over the wound. The porcelain masked his any of his expressions, but Kyoko could feel the waves of regret and pity in his chakra before they were smoothed over.

"Taneka." Tenzo began.

"I know. Unless one of you grows a pair of tits and calls themselves Tsunade Senju, I'm done for." Taneka laughed at his own comment. His joy fell short in a wince. "Just put me out of my misery." He said.

Kyoko had been in Anbu for a few weeks now, she had already seen so much, done so much. But this was a first. Tenzo reached for his Anbu blade.

"Wait." Taneka called, halting Tenzo's movements as he looked to Kyoko. "Let the brat do it." The area stilled for a moment as Kyoko locked eyes through their masks with her dying comrade.

Tenzo nodded and stepped back.

Kyoko steeled every emotion swirling inside her as she pulled her tanto from the sheath strapped to her back. "Welcome to the Anbu, Cheeky Brat."

She forced her shaking hand to still.

Her blade cut through skin and bone. She could feel the resistance as the metal passed through the flesh of his neck. Time stretched out longer than she had thought was possible, though it took less than a second.

Kyoko watched the ground blankly. She should be used to the warped, twisted reality of being a Shinobi, but it seemed like there were still some things for her to experience and overcome.

Her eyes drifted over to Taneka, his body lay separated from the head. The leaking wound had begun to blend with the newer patch of blood growing on the ground. She needed to get stronger, still.

"Send your crow to Senpai." Tenzo said, as he walked over to their fallen comrade. Kyoko looked up to Toushi, who still remained in the trees above. Her bird was as black as the shadows and blended in with the normalcy of the environment so well that anyone else may not have seen him. Kyoko nodded to Toushi and the crow soundlessly took flight. Kyoko dropped her blade in the dirt and sat on the ground opposite Sumire. She stared at the quaking of her hands, willed her stomach to keep its contents. Today had been too much. But this was her normal now. Her life new life.

By the time their Captain returned, Taneka's body was sealed in a scroll, Sumire was up and moving about and Kyoko had relaxed significantly. Even though it took them some time to actually regain their sense of Shinobi.

The remainder of their team arrived with their Captain. Yugao and Ko stood on either side of Kakashi, and Tonu was not far behind them. All four of them regarded the area. Probably taking note of the rotting smell of the corpses in the cave, the bloodstained blades of grass and Taneka's absence.

"Report." Their Captain demanded.

Kyoko only listened with half of an ear as Tenzo gave Kakashi a summarized version of the day's events. She stayed outside on lookout as the rest of the squad went inside the cave to investigate for themselves, she'd rather not go back in there anyway.

Team Ro left the cave and joined her at the entrance. Her Captain turned his gaze to her, "Use the Fireball Jutsu in the entrance of the cave." Kyoko didn't bother to ask questions as her hands fluidly moved through the hand seals, "Carp, use a mid-powered Great Breakthrough as a follow."

Kyoko inhaled and kneaded the chakra in her stomach into that of molten flames, she gathered more and more while watching Sumire flick through hand seals. When she reached her limit, Kyoko sent the torrent of flaming hot chakra inside the cave. The Giant ball of fire swirled in the entrance of the cave.

From bedside her, a stream of wind chakra pushed her flames deeper into the cave, feeding her flames hotter and hotter. The pair of Anbu held their techniques in sync and the rest just watched as the cave began to collapse in on itself. The fire and wind techniques stopped as they both reached the limits of their breath.

"Let's head back to the village."

By this, Kyoko assumed that the others had succeeded on their part of the mission but if she was really honest, she didn't care. She was fine with not knowing, just hearing that they were going back to the village was glorious news enough.

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

The slamming of a door in the room next to his woke Shikamaru in the early hours of the morning. He couldn't help but glare at the roof of his room. Recently, his sister had been taking on more and more missions than ever. Did she even sleep? It was troublesome to think about.

He was thirsty. Maybe Kyoko had only helped his body wake him up, considering how dry his mouth was…

Na, it was easier just to blame his sister.

Shikamaru lightly creaked open the door of his room and creeped down the stairs into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and gulped it back, pouring another one.

"Mind filling me a glass?" If he wasn't still half asleep, his sister's voice might have given him a fright. Shikamaru turned to look at her, for the first time in almost a week. She was dressed in a grayish uniform he had never seen before and had her usual sword strapped to her back. She was filthy too, covered in varying stains that had been gathered over her mission.

"You need a shower, Sis." Shikamaru said, trying to lighten the sullen stare in her eyes. It worked a little.

"Thanks." Kyoko snorted sarcastically, pulling off the outer layers of the uniform and taking a seat at the table. Shikamaru reached over and set a glass filled of water in front of her. She took the cup and drank it slowly, sighing as she sat it down again. Her eyes trailed over him and she rested her head in her arms, folded across the table.

"You've grown." She said.

Shikamaru was a little surprised. Not just by her words but by the tone in her voice. Kyoko sounded… sad. He didn't know how to reply to her.

"How is the academy?" She asked, blinking slowly.

He shrugged in reply, "It's boring but I get to hang out with Choji all day, so I guess it's alright." His sister snickered at his answer.

"Yeah. It was pretty boring while I was there." She commented.

"You were only there for a year." He said. Sometimes, he heard the teachers of the academy compare them. It weighed on his mind a little, but Shikamaru didn't push any of the blame onto his sister. If she was better than him then that's all there was to it, it was to troublesome to try and compete against her.

"Take your time, Shikamaru." Kyoko said, "Learn everything they have to offer at your own pace. There's no need for you to grow up as fast as I did… Be a kid, while you still can."

"You sound like Dad." He commented.

"Please don't tell me that, I'd rather remain blissfully ignorant."

Kyoko was only a few years older than himself, but she sounded older whenever she spoke. She looked older in that new uniform too.

"Sis…?" Shikamaru asked and she hummed her reply, "Can you… walk with me tomorrow? To the academy?" It was embarrassing to ask, but he looked up to his older sister. She was strong and clever; she was a Shinobi that Mum and Dad were proud of.

But that wasn't all that she was. She was fun, a smartass and didn't always treat him like a kid. She would explain things to him as they were. Shikamaru liked that. It was only normal that he wanted to spend a little more time with his sister. Wanted her to watch him and be proud of him.

"Sure thing, Shika. You better be ready in the morning, I have training with my squad so I'll have to come back to pick you up." She replied. He felt a small amount of disappointment, if she had training, that meant she wouldn't be able to hang around too long.

"But I'll come get you after classes, yeah?" She added, Shikamaru couldn't help the grin that spread over his face. "Cool."

"So, tell me about your classes? What are you learning? How's your teacher? Have you made any other friends?" Kyoko said with a smile.

Shikamaru leaned back in his chair forcing a frown onto his face to hide his growing embarrassment. With a shrug he replied, "Its fine. Iruka-Sensei's been teaching us some Shinobi history and stuff about missions." Shikamaru chuckled to himself, recalling a memory, "Choji didn't look happy about foraging for plants on missions." He paused in thought, "I only really hang out with him but sometimes we'll join up with some other kids, it's a drag a lot of the time."

His sister snickered, "Yeah, I can imagine."

"There is this one kid though. He's always running around and causing trouble, it's sort of fun to watch." Shikamaru explained as he pictured the blonde haired boy getting scolded over and over again.

"Ah, there's an Uchiha in my class too." He continued.

"Yeah?"

"Mm. He kind of pisses me off."

His sister burst out laughing, "That's how it usually is, they're not too bad once you get to know their little quirks."

Shikamaru shrugged, "I don't think we'll be buddies or anything."

Kyoko snickered and pulled back her seat, patting at her knee.

For a brief moment, he wanted to screw up his nose and complain that he wasn't some kid anymore. But this was Kyoko. His sister. He couldn't remember the last time that she held him but he could remember how it felt.

He climbed off of his chair and walked slowly over to her. Almost hesitating, like maybe she wouldn't pick him up, he reached out for her.

Kyoko easily lifted him onto her knee and wrapped her arms around his shoulders and chest.

It was a little awkward at first but he quickly relaxed at the familiarity in the feeling.

"I'm sorry, Shika. I haven't been the best sister."

She wasn't always around but she always tried. If he ever asked, if he ever needed help, he could count on his sister to be there.

Shikamaru swallowed the lump forming in his throat and shook his head. "You're just troublesome, sometimes."

Kyoko chuckled lightly, burying her face into his shoulder. She was warm, she smelled of the Nara forest after a rainy night and green tea mixed in with her own natural sent. Shikamaru relaxed in his sister's hold. It was exactly how he remembered it.

Safe.

He felt a trail of warm and cold fall off his shoulder and down his arm. Surprised, he sat there as still as he could, he felt Kyoko tighten her grip a little more.

Kyoko was strong and clever, but she was still his sister. "It's okay, Sis."

He felt her tight hold relax a little and eventually her breathing evened into a deep rhythm.

His father had told him once, that a person can only be strong for so long. That sometimes, people needed to be weak to continue being strong. Shikamaru finally understood what his Dad was trying to tell him. His thoughts lingered while his eyes grew heavy and her warmth enveloped him as he drifted off to sleep.

"Honestly, you two." He vaguely remembered hearing their Dads voice and being tucked into bed. But that didn't matter, he was already asleep.

_**(**__**っ**__****)**__**っ **__**Kakashi-Senpai!**_

Itachi stood looking out over the cliff that only he, Shisui and Kyoko ever came to. Kyoko wasn't here, though that really didn't surprise him. Itachi hadn't had the time to visit the cliff much himself. Shisui sat quietly at the edge gazing into the dark abyss that the night had created. There was no moon tonight, adding to the darkening feeling in his soul.

His father's words echoed against his skull, Itachi was beginning to develop a headache over them.

Itachi dreaded going to the Uchiha meetings in the Nakano shrine, he hated coming out afterwards too. The situation always grew worse, it accumulated over his head like a looming hurricane of misfortune.

'_We've exerted ourselves any number of times until now on behalf of the village. But what has the village done for us in return?'_

'_At their root is prejudice against us. We have endured it all this time. But now we have reached our limit.'_

'_Taking advantage of Itachi's entry into Anbu we will move towards-'_

"A coup d'état" Itachi vocalized his thoughts out loud. They didn't seem real enough in his head. The words shouldn't ever be spoken. But it was safe here, as safe as it could possibly get, to talk about these things.

"I knew things were getting bad, but to think that father wants to start a civil war?" Itachi said in disbelief, sitting down beside Shisui.

"If civil war breaks out in the Leaf then the other villages will take advantage of it." Shisui sighed, "It'll be the end of the Hidden Leaf Village unless something is done to stop it."

Itachi turned to Shisui, "What should we do about it?" he asked the older boy. Shisui ran his hands through the ever-unruly mop of hair and frowned, "For now, you just focus on getting into Anbu. I'll look into our options a little more."

Right. Itachi's mission had still yet to be completed. The assassination of Kohinata Mukai. A traitorous spy. A descendant of the Hyuga clan who secretly possessed the Byakugan. Itachi had been given a mission with his target, an opportunity set up by Danzo to learn more of the man. Itachi had learnt a lot of the man form the one mission alone. Mukai had a family, his son wasn't doing too well. Mukai had a preference for alcohol and tobacco that 'psyched him up for a fight' apparently and was skilled enough to defeat multiple Sand Jounin that had pursued them on their mission by himself. He was a troublesome target.

Thankfully, Itachi had Shisui to turn to for help.

They stayed there, waiting for time to pass. Itachi didn't want to go home, didn't want to see his fathers face and be reminded of the sea of red eyes staring back at him with discourse in their eyes. Itachi didn't know why Shisui stayed with him. Maybe it was to keep him company, or perhaps Shisui was having his own problems at home. Itachi was about to ask but bit his tongue when he saw the forlorn expression on Shisui's face.

Itachi flared his chakra thrice in rapid succession, paused, then flared it again. Shisui looked over to him with an expression of confusion. "She might not even be in the village, Itachi."

Itachi shrugged, almost embarrassed at himself. "I know." But it was worth a shot, they desperately needed a friend to cheer them up. To help ease their minds from the suffocating reality of what was unfolding before them.

"We shouldn't bother her. Kyoko's been busy, lately." Shisui scolded.

"Yeah, Itachi. I've been really busy." Her voice sounded from the trees.

"See? So we shouldn't – Wait, what?" Shisui turned around in surprise.

Kyoko emerged from the dark shadows of the forest. She was dressed in a black, sleeveless turtleneck and black pants. Kyoko frowned at him and sassily placed her hand on her hip, glaring down at them. "That signal was meant for emergencies."

"Shisui needed a hairbrush." Itachi said the only excuse that came to his mind.

Silence passed over the trio in three long beats. Kyoko was the first to crack. She burst into loud bouts of laughter, followed by Shisui and himself. Kyoko doubled over, a hand wrapped around her stomach in an effort to contain herself. Slowly, their laughter faded out. "Sometimes, you're a riot, Itachi." She walked over to him and slapped his back. Kyoko went to move past him, her foot caught on something that sent her tumbling face first to the ground. Shisui barked out another round of laughs at her wild flailing and graceless fall.

"Go easy on me! I just woke up." She complained. This, of course, was no excuse for an active Shinobi. But it was a valid one. He couldn't really comment anyway, since he was likely the main reason that she was rudely awoken in the middle of the night.

Kyoko rolled over to her back and laid on the grass. Itachi knelt down and joined the two of them on the ground.

The mood was already lighter and Itachi felt more at peace now that all three of them were here. It was strange.

"So, we're just sitting here?" Kyoko asked.

"Pretty much." Shisui shrugged his reply.

Kyoko rolled over onto her side, now facing towards them. Itachi stared at the sky, basking in the feeling of his friend's life force.

"What are you thinking about?" Kyoko asked, Itachi only realized that the question was meant for him when Shisui didn't respond to her and Itachi met her questioning gaze.

"Your sensor abilities." Itachi said half-truthfully.

Shisui turned to Kyoko, "What is your range, anyway? I feel like sometimes I can feel when you're watching. It's weird."

Itachi understood what Shisui was saying. There were small moments where sometimes there was a breeze brushing against his chakra but never across his skin. The feeling was near unnoticeable and until recently, he hadn't been aware of it.

"Really?" Kyoko asked, "What about now?"

Shuddering, Shisui responded, "Yep."

Kyoko turned a questioning look to him and Itachi nodded. She looked both confused and intrigued. "If I focus, I can sense a little beyond the Land of Fire."

"You're joking." Shisui said in disbelief.

"No, but I do wind up with a massive headache."

It was almost unheard of, for a Ninja to possess such a wide range of sensor abilities. It wasn't the best that the Shinobi world had ever seen, but it was likely a close runner-up. "The people I know, I can passively feel but if you're too far away or I don't know the person's chakra well enough, then I have to search."

"Then, the wind-like feeling?" Itachi asked.

"That's searching. It's wind-like?" She answered.

"More like moving energy brushing against our chakra." Shisui frowned as he tried to explain it.

"Interesting…" Kyoko lost herself to her thoughts.

"What do Genjutsu feel like?" Shisui asked.

Kyoko pulled herself from her thoughts, "It's like a hazy mist, or a veil of sorts. Thickened chakra wrapped around an area. If I'm in it, then it's like my entire sense is warped and blurry. It's hard to explain."

Shisui nodded, "That's why it's easy for you to tell when you're in one. Since the person casting the Genjustu can't replicate that sensation."

Kyoko nodded, "But there are some that let the victim create the illusion, those are the trickiest ones."

"It's a shame you can't just prevent from being caught in a Genjustu. You actually have to break out of it." Shisui said.

"You Sharingan users have it easy in that regard." She sighed.

The Sharingan aloud them to instantly see and break the Genjutsu cast upon them. Among various other abilities the Dojutsu came with.

"It'd be cool if you could, I dunno, wrap yourself in a cloak of chakra or something to prevent being trapped in Genjutsu in the first place." Shisui waved his arms about in a show of explaining a cloak.

Silence passed over the area as Kyoko took Shisui's words seriously. "You're giving her weird ideas… again." Itachi commented while staring out into the distance.

Shisui frowned at him, "Well it's her fault she finds weird ways of twisting my jokes into theories."

Itachi's eyes dragged over to the girl, "She's doing it now."

"Hey, don't go killing yourself in chakra exhaustion." Shisui scolded her.

Kyoko paid the older boy no mind. She instead turned to Itachi. "In theory," She began and Itachi could almost hear Shisui rolling his eyes, "Genjutsu are primarily Yin charka based, right? Chakra is used to disturbed another's mind and nervous system, letting you alter their five senses." Itachi nodded at her, "Basically."

"Then, I wonder if it can be done…"

"It'll use up too much chakra." Shisui warned, "You'll have to push the chakra outside your body and maintain a constant flow between."

Kyoko frowned at his words, "You're right… I'll have to think about this a bit more. It'd be easier if I had more chakra."

"You could have the chakra of the First Hokage and still eventually run out, especially in battle."

Kyoko frowned at Shisui, "You can't put these ideas in my head then shut them down straight after."

Shisui grinned at Kyoko, "I can't?"

She ticked her teeth and rolled away from them, "Stupid eyelashes."

Shisui snickered from beside him, the light returning to his eyes. Itachi relaxed into the grassy ground.

It was weird, how this small patch of grass could make him feel like he had finally returned home.

"What if you used you're shadow as a medium?" Shisui wondered out loud only to be met with silence. Itachi and Shisui shared a look before turning to Kyoko. Her body moved in even breaths and she was completely relaxed into the ground.

"Wow." Shisui commented.

"She must be tired." Itachi added, standing from his seated position and brushing the grass from his cloths.

"Let her rest, Itachi."

Itachi turned a questioning gaze to his friend, "Won't she rest better in a bed?"

Shisui shrugged, "Yeah, probably."

Itachi leaned down next to his friend and scooped her up into his arms. She was heavier than he remembered, they were still growing after all.

"Let's get the princess home."

Both he and Shisui took to the trees, jumping from one branch to the other. Itachi tried to keep his pace even and steady to prevent from waking the girl. They travelled across the rooftops of the village and stopped at the Nara clan leader's household. The lights were still on inside, it wasn't too late into the night just yet. Shisui knocked at the main door.

Nara Shikaku opened the door and heaved a sigh, "Two nights in a row." The man said to himself. Kyoko was handed over to the Jounin commander, she looked smaller than ever as she curled up into his arms. "Thanks for bringing her home."

Itachi and Shisui nodded and headed off back towards the Uchiha compound. It was time that they went home.


	9. Chapter 9

Oh my god, I love you guys so much. All the support! T-T

A quick shout out to the reviewers. Your reviews honestly help me write this story so much!

To those who reviewed the last chapter: **sjslovesstories, NightlyRowenTree, chibi-no-baka, Sam est classe, Ruby Calendula, pigs103, lizyeh2000, Aye-Aye, Oppaaaaa, sally, Annedq.** Let it be known that I re-read your reviews whenever I need the inspiration or encouragement to keep on writing!

Thank you all!

//\\( •̀ ω •́ )/\\\ _I am running out of line break ideas. (AGAIN)_

"Alright, Sasuke." His brother said, holding out an armful of large round discs. "Hide these nearby, but make sure they're out of sight."

"Kay." Sasuke said in reply, reaching out and taking as many of the large discs he could fit into his growing arms. Sasuke looked around the area they were in, the woods behind the Uchiha clan were always a favourite place of his to play around in. It was also where he practiced his Shuriken Jutsu in secret.

Sasuke turned to his older brother with an accusing frown, "You're not going to look, are you?"

His brother chuckled. "I won't look."

With his brother's words, Sasuke grinned and ran past Itachi. He looked at the bolder in the middle of the area and grinned to himself. He placed seven of the targets as high as he could climb on the thick, mossy trees and placed the final double-circled target behind the large stone. Sasuke grinned to himself. No matter how good his big brother was with Kunai and Shuriken, there was no way he would be able to get them all.

"All right, Big Brother." Sasuke said from his place behind one of the trees.

Sasuke watched as his brother slipped several Kunai between his fingers and launched himself into the air. Itachi rapidly spun mid-air until he was upside down. The older boy loosed two Kunai into the air, quickly followed by another three, he switched a kunai between his hands and set flight to the final three. Sasuke couldn't follow all of the Kunai at once, but he did see how two of the black blades collided with each other in a sharp flicker of light.

Sasuke stared in disbelief as the blades all sank into the centre of the targets and his brother landed as gracefully as a cat on the ground with blazing red eyes.

"Wow! You even nailed the target in the blind spot behind the rock!" Sasuke was giddy with excitement and he wanted so bad to learn how to do that. How to become as amazing as his Brother. Sasuke clutched at his own pair of Kunai, one in each hand, "All right, my turn!" He declared.

"Sasuke, we have to go."

His brother's words interrupted his excitement. Sasuke turned to Itachi feeling annoyed, "You promised to teach me a new Shuriken technique." He glared at his older brother.

"I've got a kind of important mission tomorrow. I have to get ready." Itachi said.

Sasuke turned away. How long did it take to get ready for a mission, what type of mission would take an entire afternoon and morning to prepare for? Sasuke pouted to himself, sometimes his brother said things that just didn't make any sense.

"You're a liar, Itachi." Sasuke accused and turned his head to the ground, his eyes peered sideways at his brother.

Itachi waved him over. Sasuke felt his negative emotions melt away and couldn't help the small grin that twitched across his face. Sasuke turned and ran over to Itachi, "Sorry Sasuke, maybe next time."

His brother raised his first two fingers and jabbed them at Sasuke's still moving forehead.

"Ow!" Sasuke complained, his approach halted having run straight into his brother's jab. Sasuke rubbed at the lightly stinging spot and frowned at Itachi. An idea passed through him and Sasuke's frown morphed easily into a scheming grin.

Sasuke whirled around, the two Kunai firmly in hand, "Check this out!"

"Hey, you're going to hurt yourself-"

Sasuke paid no mind to his brother's voice when the older boy began to speak. His foot snagged on something – definitely not his other foot – and Sasuke tumbled to the ground. With his hands full of the two Kunai, Sasuke decided in the second it took for him to fall, that it was much safer to not use his blade filled hands to break the fall. It was a perfect landing on his face.

Sasuke pushed himself up from the ground and winced as he tried to move his foot.

"It's sprained." His brother was already there beside him, looking at his ankle. Itachi sighed, turned around and held his hands out from behind him. "Come on, we should go home and put some ice on it."

Sasuke, feeling embarrassed, tucked away his pair of Kunai and wrapped his arms around Itachi's shoulders as Itachi hoisted them from off of the ground. Sasuke sat comfortably in the piggyback ride home, out of the forest and into the streets beside the Uchiha compound.

The journey was slow and quiet as the sun set over the village.

They passed a familiar building and Sasuke couldn't help but frown at the insignia. Itachi paused in his steps and turned to Sasuke, "What's wrong?" he asked.

Sasuke didn't know how his brother was always able to tell when he was troubled, but that was just another thing Sasuke found amazing about Itachi, he was always doing what Sasuke thought was impossible. Always setting a new bar that Sasuke desperately wanted to surpass.

"This is where Father works?" Sasuke asked, he had been to this building a few times on the rare occasion that Father had left his bento at home and his mother was too busy to drop it off herself.

"Konoha Military Police Force headquarters." His older brother stated. Looking towards the tall concrete building.

"This has been bothering me for a while," Sasuke began, staring up at the four-pointed star with the Uchiha clan's image in the center, "Why is the Uchiha clan's crest in the Military Police Force's symbol?"

"So you noticed that, huh?"

Sasuke felt a surge of pride flow through him and he straightened his back, "Of course!"

"Right. Well, basically, our Uchiha ancestors organized and founded the Military Police Force. That's why they integrated the Uchiha crest into the symbol for the organization. The Uchiha clan has handled and maintained public order in the village for a long time. The crest is proof of our proud history." Sasuke listened silently as Itachi carefully explained. "Right now, the Uchiha clan is smaller, but even now, basically all of us belong to the first squadron here, and contribute to maintaining public order in the village."

Itachi paused in his explanation and gave a small sideways smile, "The only ones capable of cracking down on Ninja crime are even greater Ninja."

"Are you going to join too, Itachi?" Sasuke asked, Itachi was the greatest Ninja he knew after all.

Itachi went silent in thought for a moment before shrugging and carrying on down the path, "Dunno. We'll have to see." He replied.

"Do it!" Sasuke urged, "When I grow up, I'm gonna join the Military police force, too!"

When they walked through the gates of the Uchiha compound, Father appeared before them. "You're late. What were you up to? I want to talk to you." His Father spoke to Itachi. It was always Itachi in Father's eyes, Sasuke frowned. Father didn't comment on his sprained ankle. Even being scolded is better than being ignored, Sasuke decided.

"Let's get home." Father ordered.

"Yes, Father."

Sasuke stared at the back of Itachi's head, wishing he could see what type of expression his brother had. Itachi's voice had turned stone cold and emotionless for the reply. It sent a feeling of unease into his gut.

Sasuke sat quietly the rest of the short ride home.

He sat quietly in the room as Father and Brother argued over Itachi's important mission.

He sat quietly as he listened as Itachi declared that he would abandon his mission to come to Sasuke's second term Opening Ceremony at the academy.

Watching as his Father gave up the argument, offering to attend in Itachi's place so that Itachi would complete his mission.

The cold and angry glint in Itachi's eyes made Sasuke worry.

//\\( •̀ ω •́ )/\\\ _I am running out of line break ideas._

"That my assassins would be the two Uchiha prodigies, at the height of their popularity, is truly the greatest honor." Kohinata Mukai said, pulling out a portable ashtray from the depths of his pocket and tossing away a half-smoked cigarette. He sealed the silver cap of his bottle that smelled faintly of sake before stashing both objects into one of the many pockets of his vest.

Shisui watched the man from a safe distance, beside him stood a shadow clone of Itachi. The real Itachi had slipped away in the small seconds during the fight against a platoon of Shinobi from the Hidden Mist. Not a single Mist ninja was spared, more than a dozen bodies littered the ground, unmoving.

Shisui was no sensor Ninja but he could tell when Mukai released the shadow clones he had back in the village. Itachi's own chakra spiked in response, likely dispelling his own clone that had been watching the clone of Kohinata Mukai.

"Now that my son knows the Dad he was just talking to 'till just a minute ago wasn't the real one, my son's probably angry." Mukai sent them a glare as he scratched at his head. "Now I'll have to come up with some kind of excuse when I get home."

Mukai shifted positions, his hips dropped and his hands raised with palms out in a similar stance to the Gentle Fist. The style of the Hyuga clan.

The Kohinata were descended from the Hyuga clan but they had split off long ago. Just because the Kohinata had split off from the bloodline, that didn't mean their descendants couldn't have the Dojutsu of the Hyuga. As long as the blood flowed through their veins, the name didn't matter to a Kekkai Genkai.

"Why would a Ninja as good as you be a spy?" The clone of Itachi stood beside him asked.

A spy. If they succeeded today, that was what Itachi would become. Likely, the idea of it had been weighing on the younger boy's heart.

"When you get old, things happen. You can't understand what those things are until you get some years on you. So even if I did tell you why, you'd only get half of it." Shisui listened, it sounded like the situation had been going on for quite some time and had gotten complicated and out of control somewhere down the line.

"If you die here, what happens to your son in the Hospital?" Itachi spat. It was only a clone of Itachi but these were still the boy's thoughts and feelings. Itachi was angry. Shisui wondered what it was that had angered the boy. Was it the fact that Mukai had acted regardless of his son's needs? Was Itachi relating between Mukai and Fugaku?

"Because of those things I mentioned," Mukai said in a low voice, "I can't be dying here. Even if you guys were to kill me." The veins around Mukai's pale left eye throbbed into sight.

"Byakugan!" Itachi's clone shouted in warning.

Shisui reacted on instinct, jumping back to avoid being in the reach of the dangerous close-ranged technique.

Itachi's clone hadn't moved quickly enough, Mukai stood just in front of the clone. His first two fingers acted as good as any blade, one hand in Itachi's throat and the other buried in his gut.

Itachi's clone burst into a flock of crows that dipped and dived, dark wings slapping too close and hard beaks stabbing at their opponent.

Shisui's hands flickered through hand seals rapidly, using the crows as cover. Mukai turned his head over to Shisui, unbothered by the birds.

The giant fireball rippled out into the bleak, stony area. Landing in what should have been a direct hit. The giant fireball was split in two. Shisui was both annoyed and impressed.

"Gentle fist cuts off enemy chakra. Using it means being very familiar with the flow. Jutsu are the embodiment of chakra. If you can read the flow, it's not so tough to split." Mukai said after gaging the frown that Shisui let slip. The information was tucked away in his mind. Mukai charged towards Shisui, rapidly closing the distance.

Shisui prepared himself, mentally and physically. This was not a good situation to be in at all. The Gentle Fist technique went above and beyond in terms of physical attack. The application of chakra in their strikes could wound a person from the inside. Going up against a user of the Gentle fist in close combat was just stupid.

But, unfortunately, it was necessary.

The deciding factor of this fight couldn't be a close-ranged attack. It was near impossible for the Uchiha pair, neither of them was skilled enough to drive a Shinobi like Mukai into a corner with Taijutsu alone.

No. This fight needed to be finished from a distance.

The only advantage Shisui and Itachi had was their own Dojutsu. The Sharingan. But first, they needed to catch Mukai's line of sight with their own. Against any other Ninja, this wouldn't be so difficult, it was a subconscious effort to create eye contact. Most made eye contact without realizing it. Mukai was aware of this fact, and that is what made it so difficult. Mukai had no need using his eyes when the Byakugan let him 'see' the flow of chakra around him.

Difficult, but not impossible.

All they needed to do was create a situation where Mukai's visual axis aligned with one of theirs.

Itachi sat tactically hidden, awaiting that single moment where the situation was crafted exactly for that. To do that, Shisui needed to get up in Mukai's face in this fight. A stupidly dangerous place to be.

Shisui was barely scraping by in this battle, his speed was his saving grace against the man's experience and bloodline. Shisui could only dodge and counter smartly as Mukai attacked after him in powerful thrusts of his hand. Shisui threw his torso back to dodge a crippling blow to his solar plexus, unwillingly giving the man an opening in his nimble defence.

Left with no other choice, Shisui jumped back in retreat. In the time it took for Shisui to land, Mukai turned and looked off to his left where Itachi waited.

The instant Shisui realized Itachi had been discovered, he pushed the chakra to circulate in his eyes and the world sharpened and warped. Mukai almost met his gaze before snapping it away, sensing the change in his chakra. Mukai suddenly launched off in an incredible leap, stepping from one rock to propel himself off of another. Mukai was headed for Itachi.

The next moment, Shisui rippled his chakra throughout his body and kicked off from the stony ground, chasing after their opponent. In a flicker, Shisui appeared behind Mukai in the single point of his blind spot and swivelled his body mid-air. Shisui's kick landed solidly against Mukai's skull, sending the man's head into the wall in what should have been a head-shattering collision. The log crashing against the solid rock had both Shisui and Itachi widening their eyes. Mukai was fast.

"Shadow clone!" Itachi called out. Shisui whirled around and ducked out of the way of a blow aimed at his throat and sent a quick, driving knee into Mukai's gut. Mukai exploded into smokey chakra.

Shisui whirled around, his eyes landed on the real Mukai, powering his open palms into Itachi's stomach.

"Eight Trigrams Eight Palms!" Mukai rapidly struck at Itachi. Shisui vaulted himself into the air and aimed a flying kick into Mukai's blind spot once again. Mukai moved. Sweeping shortly to the side, Mukai avoided the attack.

The older man's arm shot out and wrapped around Shisui's throat. Mukai's grip was tight as it clutched around his windpipe.

Itachi was still recovering from the Gentle Fist's attack, Shisui glared hotly at Mukai with his Sharingan spinning. He silently dared the man to meet his eye, to give him an opening. Mukai did not.

With the hand still wrapped around his throat, Mukai lifted Shisui from the ground. "There's this thing called 'training' that you do to overcome your weak points." Mukai taunted, "The first step in my training was to compensate for the Byakugan's blind spot in one eye, with physical Jutsu. Don't underestimate this old man, brats."

"Kohinata Mukai." Itachi wheezed, taking a step forward. His body must have been rippling with pain at the aftermath of the Gentle Fist. Shisui considered them lucky to have been able to stop the attack before it could reach its full power.

"What? You want me to kill him?" Mukai asked. Itachi's chakra was disrupted, there was effectively nothing that Itachi could do to counterattack. Shisui gripped at Mukai's hand, nails digging in to try and pry the hand away. Itachi continued forward.

"Then I'll put him out of his misery, as you requested!" The hand around his throat tightened significantly forcing a choked sound from Shisui.

"Stop!" Itachi demanded, his Sharingan glistened with fury.

"There's no way that sort of obvious Genjutsu is going to work on me." Mukai turned away from Itachi's Sharingan despite his words. Shisui forced the chakra from his eyes to amplify in itself, he could feel the power behind his eyes. The whispering promise of power that surged through his eyes and down his spine was gloriously terrifying.

Shisui cast the Genjutsu faster than he'd ever done in his entire life, the smallest instant he would say was nothing more than a thousandth of a second. But it was enough for Shisui to create that foothold in the depths of Mukai's mind. This fight no longer in Mukai's advantage. The hand was gone from his throat and buried itself into a pocket at Mukai's waist. The black metal of the blade caught in the low light in a glittering warning, but the blade turned in.

Shisui realized too late, as Mukai dragged the black steel blade across his own stomach. "Mukai!" Shisui yelled, neither of the boys had really wanted Mukai dead, he didn't need to die. The man collapsed to the ground in a spray of blood. "Hold on, Mukai!" Shisui said, dropping to his knees beside the older man. Shisui lifted Mukai's head lightly of the ground, cradling it in a light hold.

"I'm a spy for another village… Any interference with my brain, and a Jutsu that makes me end my own life is executed."

So that's what happened, Shisui thought.

"You can't save me." Mukai heaved a blood-soaked cough from his lungs. "I've never seen anyone caught in a Genjutsu in that short a time before… What the hell was that?"

Shisui didn't answer, even a dead man could still slip information.

"Uchiha secret Jutsu, huh?" Mukai understood, not taking any offence to Shisui's silence. But Mukai's words still made him falter.

"Do you have anything you want to say?" Itachi said quietly.

Mukai's eyes shifted to Itachi. "S-so this is where we're at…" Mukai cleared his throat and coughed harshly again. "I did what I did on my own. My wife and kid had nothing to do with it."

"So you're saying that the crime of treason was yours alone?"

"Totally selfish, but, well…" Mukai's unsteady hand rose from the dirt and reached for his pocket. Itachi pushed Mukai's quaking fingers away and pulled out the small package. The cigarette was given to the man.

"L-Light." Mukai asked.

Shisui pulled the lighter from Mukai's pocket and held the flame. With a deep breath, Mukai pulled the smoke to the deepest pits of his lungs. He exhaled in a breath of grey. At the end of his breath, he pulled in another drag. "This is how a ninja dies, you know? I'll be seeing you over there…"

The strength left Mukai's body, his hand fell to the ground with the cigarette still burning between his cooling fingers.

Shisui sat there for a moment. "It's over." Shisui said, fatigue settled in his body as the adrenaline wore off.

Itachi nodded, the boy's eyes shifted from Mukai's body to Shisui. "That Sharingan…" Itachi asked.

Shisui knew Itachi had seen it, knew that the younger boy would question it. Shisui wanted to tell Itachi. But not today, not yet.

"Will you keep quiet about it to the guys in the village?" Shisui asked, not yet able to tear his eyes away from Mukai's corpse. The man shouldn't have met the fate he did.

"Yeah." Itachi murmured in response.

"The Mangekyo Sharingan." Shisui pushed the chakra in his eyes to bloom, catching Itachi's undivided attention, "When the time comes, I'll tell you – just you – everything."

"Just me?" Itachi asked hesitantly. Shisui knew what Itachi was really asking.

"I don't think this is something Kyoko needs to know of just yet." Itachi wouldn't meet his gaze, "But I'll leave that decision to you, once I've told you everything." Shisui grinned at Itachi with all the energy he could muster. Itachi nodded, the boy's inky black eyes turned skyward.

The resigned look in Itachi's eye told Shisui that it was time to go home. Shisui couldn't help but notice how old Itachi looked, the wisdom in Itachi's eyes had always spoke of years the boy hadn't yet had. But today seemed to add so much more. Setting a hand on Itachi's shoulder, Shisui stood from the ground. "Let's go."

//\\( •̀ ω •́ )/\\\ _I am running out of line break ideas._

"_A new member will be joining your team." The Third Hokage said._

"_Is it the one we talked about?" Kakashi inquired, preparing himself to be thrust upon maintaining a finicky situation._

"_Yes, he is extremely capable."_

_True, the boy was said to be capable, "But he is young."_

"_He is not the youngest that has been entrusted to you…" Lord third commented. "Danzo has recommended that he is to gain more experience. And Kakashi… Keep the Spider out of Danzo's reach."_

Kakashi watched from the trees above as Kunai and Shuriken were loosed from Ko's grip. Aimed for the newest member of Anbu. The targeted boy kept walking forward despite the blades being tossed in his direction. With minimal, last second adjustments, Uchiha Itachi avoided them all.

Itachi stopped as a Shuriken passed marginally in front of the weasel mask he wore.

Kakashi could feel the tension in the air coming from the newly arranged Team Ro.

"What are you doing?" Kakashi flickered to stand a little behind the newest member of Anbu. Tenzo, his trusted second hand and comrade followed, appearing along-side him. "Explain yourselves." Kakashi demanded to Ko and the others who stood in the grounds.

"We wanted to be sure he had the skills to be one of us." Sumire said. Seated on top of the furthest of the three training logs driven deep into the ground. The reddish-orange fish-like mask was a familiar sight among the few new masks.

"Since he is too young." Ko added from behind the dual purple striped reptilian mask, Kakashi could feel a small amount of animosity. This wouldn't do any favors to the team, Kakashi pondered.

Through the thin slits of his own dog-like mask, Kakashi's Sharingan narrowed, uncovered. "Do you have a problem with the decisions of your superiors?"

They all turned away from Kakashi's challenging stare. "No, it's not like that…" Came from the left, a dog motif mask complete with pointed ears and three, thick stripes with two along either sides of his cheek and one on his forehead. One of the new members of the squad. One that Danzo had generously offered to Team Ro. Torune Aburame.

"Haven't you already sensed that he isn't ordinary?" Kakashi scolded, they were supposed to be the elite of the elite. Acting in this manner was appalling.

Kakashi passed a quick look over his team. Tenzo in his cat mask, Sumire the carp, Ko the reptilian, Tonu the bear and Kyoko the spider was all that remained of the previous squad. Kakashi had lost three members, one dead and the other two were restationed into a reformed Team Ri. He now has two new members to integrate. One from Root and the other an Uchiha.

Joy.

Kakashi stepped up to Itachi and turned to the boy. "I'm Kakashi, Captain of Team Ro." He introduced himself, "You're new, but I want you to learn all of the ANBU rules and formations quickly."

"Yes, sir." Itachi replied.

"I'll help with that." The light voice sounded behind them. Kakashi turned to see a mask with a fanged mouth outline and five purple, almond shaped eye-like markings. The spider of the group stood next to a tense looking Tenzo.

The girl's stealth was refined beyond impressive.

"I'll leave that to you then, Kyoko." Kakashi didn't miss the slight movement of Itachi's head at the name. The Hokage had mentioned that the two of them had been in the same class together in the academy and that they worked well enough solo and together, but Kakashi had a feeling he had only been given part of the story. As usual.

"It looks like the Hokage's judgment isn't enough to reassure them," Kakashi began in a sardonic voice, "If you could give a small demonstration of your abilities, maybe that'll put their nerves at ease."

The single red triangle that went down the forehead of the weasel mask dipped in movement as Itachi nodded. "If nine targets could be set up close behind?" Itachi requested.

Kakashi nodded to Tenzo and his second hand quickly set the nine targets in the trees, all at differing heights. When given the signal, Itachi launched himself into the air. The boy spun upside down and in quick rotations. Five Kunai were released, Kakashi watched casually with his lone Sharingan eye, only one knife would reach its intended target. Itachi flicked another four kunai, eight knives collided perfectly and bounced off in different directions in a clear ringing of metal against metal. Itachi landed fluidly as each and every Kunai landed solidly in the dead center of the targets.

"He is talented, but making an exception for someone so young is rather unusual for Anbu." Tenzo said quietly to Kakashi.

Tenzo and Kakashi stood opposite from the rest of the squad. Watching the minute movements in their muscles, analyzing their response from the smallest of hints. Five stood watching after Itachi in slight stillness, acknowledging the boy's talent with the Kunai.

"He was recommended by Lord Danzo… Let's hope they stop at two." Kakashi responded. The spider mask strode over to Itachi. Intrigued, Kakashi watched, taking the opportunity to observe the interaction between the youngest members Anbu had ever seen.

"Nice." Kyoko said. The spider stood in front of Itachi who stared up at the targets and hummed in reply. Kyoko clicked her teeth and lightly punched at the boy's shoulder, "Don't worry too much about it."

The weasel mask turned to her, "It bothers me."

"Then do something about it."

"Hn." The boy looked away.

"Or you can just leave it." Kakashi could hear the grin in her voice.

Itachi turned to her again. Kyoko raised her fist again and held it out in the space between them, "We're a team now."

Itachi bumped his fist against hers, "Nn."

"But man, I really wanted to stay ahead of you." Kyoko whined.

"I can't let you."

"Let me?"

Tenzo rested a hand on his hip, "Looks like they're already acquainted."

Kakashi couldn't tear his eyes away from the arguing pair. From this small interaction, Kakashi could tell that they were more than acquainted. Kyoko could communicate with Itachi despite some of the odd quirks that often hindered a young Uchiha's social interactions. She seemed to understand Itachi in a way that was painfully similar to how Rin and himself had been able to figure out Obito's little gestures and grunts.

Not to mention, Kakashi hadn't been able to follow their conversation at all. He wondered, how in synch would they be on a mission and in battle. Had the Hokage given the both of them to him for a reason?

Kakashi scolded himself. The state of the situation was too delicate to be handed to anyone that didn't have the varied experience Kakashi had.

Kakashi looked away from the squabbling pair and up to the other dog-masked subordinate, especially since Danzo had a lot of interest in Itachi. Kakashi had butted heads with the Foundation often, had even managed to have Tenzo change loyalties from the Foundation into the Hokage's Anbu. They had the knowledge to maneuver around Danzo for a while.

//\\( •̀ ω •́ )/\\\ _I am running out of line break ideas._

"You're out of it, Itachi." Kyoko said from beside him. They had just finished up a mission and had left the headquarters, he should probably be heading home judging from the darkening sky. Itachi hadn't made any move to turn for the Uchiha compound, nor had Kyoko left for her home. Naturally, without a single exchange of words, they carried on strolling through the village.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

Maybe he had been a bit out of focus this morning and after the mission - he wouldn't let trivial thoughts distract him on important missions. Or maybe Kyoko was simply good at picking up on his moods. They'd been friends for seven years now, there were things that only Shisui and Kyoko would ever know about him, the reverse was true for all three of them.

"I met with Izumi yesterday." Itachi started.

Kyoko pressed tightly down on her left forearm with an analyzing gaze, she must have lightly injured it using her blade during the mission. Kyoko turned her attention to him, "How is Izu-chan? I haven't been able to visit her for a while… She graduated, didn't she?"

"Nn. A year early."

Kyoko smiled softly, "It's a bit weird, but I'm proud of her."

Itachi said nothing in response, he didn't need to. Kyoko flexed her hand in and out of a fist before dropping the appendage at her side, "So?" She asked.

Itachi remembered back to the last two times he had hung out with Izumi. Recently in the small park of the Uchiha district and then in the café months before that. In the café, it had ended with Izumi getting upset and leaving.

'_Walking down the same path as the person you like… Maybe I shouldn't want that.'_

He understood what she meant when she had said those words but Itachi felt, as a shinobi, that he didn't have the emotional leeway to take her seriously.

"Izumi may have implied that she liked me." Itachi voiced hesitantly.

Kyoko blinked at him before bursting into loud bouts of childish laughter, "Most of the girls in the academy liked you."

Itachi frowned, "They didn't like me. They liked the image they created of me in their heads, lost in their own form of reality."

Kyoko scoffed, "Everybody may have a different image of you, but does that mean they're wrong? They're probably just missing parts of the picture, that's why getting to know a person is fun."

"They never tried to get to know me."

"Yeah, and they've probably moved on by now."

"But it isn't me Izumi likes, it's the idea of the strength that 'Uchiha Itachi' represents to her."

"So?" Kyoko turned an accusing stare onto him, "Does that make her feelings any less genuine?"

Itachi decided not to answer, he didn't know the answer. Instead, he settled for, "People live inside their own illusions."

The cold glare he received turned blood to ice in his skin. Kyoko refused to break her gaze first so Itachi turned away. "Then, does that mean my feelings are an illusion, too?"

His eyes snapped up to her, his disbelief gave him an ignorant courage against her furious stare.

What?

"You're running away by refusing to acknowledge Izu-chan… It isn't like you to delude yourself like this, Itachi." Kyoko turned around and began to make her way down the street. "I should be going home."

"Kyoko-"

"We have another mission tomorrow. So get some rest." Kyoko didn't turn back, one sure foot after another carried her away.

Itachi considered himself balanced; half shinobi, half human. But perhaps this equilibrium had left an imbalance somewhere in his heart. Still, he could be misunderstanding. Jumping to conclusions. The facts were there, in broad daylight, with Izumi. It was hard to miss. But Kyoko?

Somehow, it didn't bother him as much as it should have, and that sent the alarm bells ringing in his head.

Kyoko was right though. Izumi's feelings weren't any less genuine just because she viewed him in a different light. Itachi simply didn't know how to respond to them so he pushed it aside.

Sighing, Itachi continued forward at a slow pace, headed for the Uchiha compound.

He hadn't wanted to return home. Not yet.

"Welcome back, Itachi."

"Big brother!"

It was like every negative emotion melted from him like cold wax to a flame. "I'm back, Mother. How were classes today, Sasuke?"

Sasuke grinned up at him, his little brother's innocence was his driving force, his hope, the flame in the dark.

"Why don't you go wash up and join us for dinner, Itachi."

Itachi nodded and pried his brother's fingers gently from his shirt. Sasuke grinned, "Mom made Sukiyaki!"

"Oh?" Itachi turned a questioning gaze to their Mother. She smiled gently, "Sasuke got the top score in his class. He specifically asked to have Sukiyaki for dinner tonight."

"Top score?" Itachi looked down to a haughty looking Sasuke almost bursting with pride, "Keep it up."

"Yeah, I will!" Sasuke grinned and ran back to the table but he stared at Itachi with an expectant look gleaming in his deep black eyes.

Itachi chuckled to himself, heading to his room to change out of his uniform and have a quick shower. Itachi soon joined his Mother and Brother at the table, "Is Father still at work?" He asked.

"Yes, he managed to come back for lunch, but he probably won't be back until later in the night." Mother replied. Itachi held back the sigh of relief.

Itachi said nothing, picking up the bowl she dished for him and savoring the scent of a home-cooked meal. Itachi was thankful that his father wasn't home, the tension might have been a bit too much on a day like today and Itachi really didn't need to start skipping meals because he was stressed by his own Father.

Sasuke quickly ate the remainder of his dinner with gusto, when the smaller sized bowl was set loudly on the table, Sasuke turned to Itachi with a begging look on his face. "Will you show me a new Shuriken Jutsu?" The seven-year-old asked.

"Sasuke, your brother just got home, let him relax a little. Besides it's too late out to practice Shuriken." Their mother scolded.

Sasuke pouted and turned away, "It's not practice, it's training."

Itachi chuckled as their mother sighed lightly, "Why don't you make a start on your homework?" She said.

"Kay…" Sasuke said somberly and plodded out the kitchen, dragging his feet as he went.

Itachi slowly picked at the vegetables in his bowl, appreciating their varying flavours and the soft texture of the warm rice.

"Is something wrong, Itachi?" Itachi blinked in surprise and met his mother's worried gaze. He was sure that he had kept his expression neutral. Why was he so easy to read today?

"I'm your Mother, Itachi. I can tell when you're not feeling well."

Itachi gave up trying to figure it out, "It's nothing, Mother."

"Something you can't talk about?" She asked.

He quietly continued slowly eating his rice, even though he was famished and wanted to demolish his dinner with the same enthusiasm that Sasuke had.

"Something you don't want to talk about, then."

Itachi wished that his mother would stop this outrageous interrogation. She regarded him with the same deep black eyes that Sasuke had inherited.

"Troubles with a friend?"

Itachi sighed.

"A girl?"

"Mother, please." Came his defeated reply, begging her to stop in picking apart his problems. His mother laughed lightly.

"Oh, alright."

The silence lingered as he pushed around the rice in the bottom of his bowl. Itachi sighed, putting aside the rice and grabbing the other dish of meat, vegetables and broth. The bowl was emptied in the next few minutes and refilled for the third time.

The golden oils of the ingredients moved like a liquid sheet over the flavored broth that enveloped the beef and the variety of vegetables. His thoughts of his emotions clouded his vision, dark eyes only catching shifting light over the oils.

Itachi dragged his eyes up to his mother who sat on the other side of the table. The midnight black of her eyes lacked the grey tones that Itachi had inherited from his father. Somehow, they felt warmer, deeper.

She watched him with a quiet, patient smile.

"Did you love Father? At first?" Itachi asked. There was a lot that Itachi didn't know about his parents. He never had the time or the reason to ask.

His mother blinked her long, dark eyelashes in surprise. A feature that both Sasuke and himself had inherited from her. "Like all things, emotions take time, Itachi." His mother offered her wisdom before sitting back and a glazed look of thought passed across her eyes.

"Back in those times, I was Chunin when I first actually talked to your Father. It was just small things, casual greetings turned into small smiles. At the time, Fugaku was engaged in an arranged marriage." Itachi silently listened to his mother's story, "I was sent out on a mission, one day, with the rest of my team and we were caught up in a very diplomatic situation that eventually spiralled out of control. I was fighting a losing battle, but I was saved by none other than Wicked-Eye Fugaku. It was hard not to fall for him after that." His mother chuckled lightly.

"But Father was already engaged?"

Mikoto nodded, dark strands of hair shifting slightly. "Yes. But the more we worked together and talked to each other, the more certain feelings began to develop. The arranged marriage was cancelled without much fuss by your Father's request and Fugaku and I were married the next spring."

"He canceled it? And the elders of the clan let him?" Itachi asked.

"An arranged marriage can be annulled if love comes into the equation. This is one of the few Clan Laws that we have." His mother stated.

Clan laws were obscure and only ever came into the light in dire situations, some of them were so old that few people even knew what they were, Itachi only knew of two laws that were recorded in the old texts.

"Why?" The information processed and combined with the older texts he had read of the clan. Some things had been lightly mentioned but there was never any clarification on the situation. Things his ancestors had assumed as normal had been neglected in their mentions and lost through time.

"According to my Great-Grandfather, the emotions we feel and the bonds we create strengthen the power of our blood."

"The Sharingan." Itachi assumed.

"Supposedly. But I think that the older generation just didn't want to go through the trouble that comes with the rebellion of the young." Mikoto smiled mischievously. "Our ancestors, the much older and distant Uchiha believed heavily in the tales of the Gods."

Itachi thought, immediately drawing a parallel, that perhaps this was the reason some of the Uchiha techniques were names after deities.

"Okuninushi, who we now see as the God of Love and Relationship, fell in love with Princess Suseri, daughter of the Storm God Susanoo. Susanoo was opposed to the marriage between Okuninushi and his daughter, so he gave Okuninushi impossible tasks to prove his worth. But with the help and protection of his beloved Princess Suseri, Okuninushi overcame these trials. Even when Susanoo tried to trap Okuninushi a field aflame, Okuninushi was aided by a field mouse and upon completing his final task, the lovers were allowed their marriage."

"So..?" Itachi prompted.

"If even the chaotic and stubborn God of Storms could not come between his daughter and Okuninushi, then what chance did they have?" His mother smiled, the light twinkle of amusement in her eye eased his heart.

//\\( •̀ ω •́ )/\\\ _I am running out of line break ideas._

Kisame had many beliefs.

He believed that loyalty to others was given only when it was earned.

He believed that loyalty should be beneficial to all parties involved. Shinobi foolish enough to give themselves away to those who do not acknowledge their worth, they were the hopeless ones. Guppies in an ocean of predators.

He believed that he did right by his village, with every heinous act they ordered upon him, Kisame would follow through without a second thought.

"Our negotiations with the Hidden Sand village have been thwarted. Those damn Leaf Shinobi have gotten in our way too many times now. We need to gain leverage to get them off of our back before they get any ideas of putting presser on the village." Fuguki spat in annoyance.

Fuguki was his teacher and master. He was also the current owner of the Samehara, one of the legendary swords of the Mist.

Kisame wanted that sword.

He had wanted it from the first time it collided with his ribs and shattered his bones. The way the wrapped sword all but purred as it leached his chakra. It was the most fascinating thing he had seen since he had first ripped open an enemy with his blade.

But Kisame was loyal to his village and to his teacher. So, he refrained himself form taking the Samehara by force.

Fuguki turned to Kisame, "Lord Mizukage has assigned you a mission, of the usual type."

The 'usual type' referred to the only type of mission he was given in secret. Killing his fellow Mist ninja.

"But there's a bit of a spin on this one." Grinned Fuguki, "Should make it a little interesting for you."

Kisame said nothing, subconsciously taking note of a twitched muscle in his master's shoulder and the relaxing posture of his guard being dropped.

"You'll be assigned to guard a team of two in intercepting and decoding a message that is to be delivered from the land of Hot Water to the Hidden Leaf. We have intel that this message may begin trade between the two countries. We need to know what that trade is and bring it to a halt."

Suikazan Fuguki was a large man, both in width and height. It irritated Kisame how the tower of a man was always looking down at him.

"This mission is a direct offence to the peace agreement the Mist has with the Leaf. If word gets out, the Leaf will have a reason to declare war on the Mist. Do not let this happen. Acquire the information then silence the loose ends."

"I understand."

"Meet with the rest of your squad at the South-Western docks, you'll head out from there."

Without another second wasted, Kisame left the dark concrete room and navigated long corridors. Soon he was approaching the docks where two men stood whispering to each other. They spotted him as he took slow steps along the wooden overhang on the water.

"You must be our third." Said one of the men, he had dark hair in comparison to the other, "This mission is mostly stealth, but we need you to be our acting brute if things turn to battle. I'm Goshi, one of the village's specialists in Konoha codes and messages, so leave that bit to me. Shiku here will be snatching the scroll from the Hot Water Ninja." Kisame switched his gaze to the lighter haired ninja, only now did he see the slightly delicate features and shaped body. It didn't matter. As soon as Kisame had the information, these two would be dead anyway.

From the moment he first saw them, Kisame watched the other two Mist Shinobi on the mission along with him. He kept quiet and strayed away from conversation, keeping all interaction to an absolute minimum. That would make killing these two far easier on him. Kisame had learnt that it was easier to kill a man when you didn't know anything about him. This applied to all of his kills. Regardless of allegiance, origin and beliefs. At the end of the day, a kill was a kill. That was his mission.

Shiku was an average ninja, Kisame was actually surprised that she managed to trap the Hot Water ninja in a competent enough Genjutsu to take the scroll from them. All in all, it was a dull mission so far. His master's promise of an interesting mission had left him feeling mildly disappointed.

Kisame stood guard in the heavily forested area. The other two had decided that the trees would be able to provide a good cover while they focused on decoding the scroll. It was a stupid idea. They were in the land of Fire, the shinobi of this land knew their terrain. Even though Kisame knew this, he said nothing. Any blunders they did would add up on them either physically or mentally, making it easier to kill them when the time called for it. That time was soon approaching.

The Odachi that hung from his back was a reminder. This sword had carried him through his training and many, many missions. This blade was soaked in the blood of his brethren, he was anxious to stein his blade again. To hurry up and get this mission over and done with. It just seemed so pointless.

"I've got it." The coding specialist said Kisame couldn't remember his name.

"Well, what's it say?" The woman asked. Kisame didn't move from his position, seeming uninterested.

"Hold on a moment, I need to make a copy of it to take back to the village." After hearing this, Kisame turned his head to look at the other two knelt over an unravelled out scroll. "Make sure to write it in General Mist." Kisame said.

The pair looked up to him in surprise before nodding. "Yeah, that's a good idea. We don't want anyone to see this, that's for sure. If the Mist is caught with this information, it would be considered capitalising a necessary trade. Even the Daimyo of Water could be pressured by the other countries if this got out of hand."

Luckily for Kisame, this man knew how to run his mouth.

"Then the trade is..." And the woman was too nosy for her own good.

"Salt."

This made Kisame pause. The entire picture just got blown beyond proportion. The group of three went quiet as the man rewrote the scroll in the General Mist code.

"There, done."

The moment those words sounded amongst the trees, Kisame's Odachi was pulled from its sheath and swung through the flesh in a clean cut. Kisame walked over to the cooling corpse of the man and picked up both scrolls before the seeping blood could crawl its way over to the inked paper.

He pulled out a scroll from deep inside his pocket and sealed the bodies inside. They would be delivered back to his Kage upon completing his mission.

"Now, what to do." Kisame hummed to himself.

He had finished the first two parts of his mission with ease. The final part of his mission would be significantly more difficult. He needed to sabotage the trade between the two villages without any links being drawn back to the Hidden Mist. And stealth wasn't exactly his style.

Now that the woman was dead, the genjutsu on the Hot Water ninja would be broken for sure, assuming that they hadn't already realised and broken free of it themselves. There was also supposed to be a group of Leaf ninja that would meet with the Hot Water ninja to exchange information.

Kisame groaned and scratched at his dark spikey hair.

Then again, since the Hot Water ninja were missing their scroll, the trade agreement couldn't go as swiftly as it would have been. The scroll had contained information on agreements and quantities that likely was only known by the higher brass of the Hidden Hot Water village, information that likely wasn't known by the delivering ninja. Even if the delivering ninja did know the information, the trade wouldn't be recognised by the Hidden Leaf unless there was written proof they could use as leverage. They couldn't meet with the Leaf shinobi empty-handed but they also couldn't abandon meeting with them, otherwise, they would lose the agreement. Kisame glanced through the rewritten scroll, while the Leaf likely needed this salt trade it seemed like the Hot Water benefited from it more. The land of Fire was a wealthy country after all. The Hot Water needed this. In other words, they wouldn't back out unless forced to.

Konoha, on the other hand...

Kisame grinned. Konoha had pride. He could use that.

Kisame froze. The birds were quiet, the wind shifted and he could smell them. He was being watched. Two different scents were close by, high in the trees that loomed above, hidden amongst the foliage. He had been spotted, but the real question was, by whom?

He launched several explosive kunai high into the treetops. Among the falling debris of wood and leaves, two figures landed lightly on the ground in the shadows. Two masks stared directly at him. Kisame cursed at his luck. These two were Anbu from the Leaf. Skilled enough to be able to conceal themselves from him when they were less than ten meters away in the treetops. The real question was... Just how long had they been there?

"Well, I guess this mission will be interesting after all." Kisame said to himself, bringing his large blade to rest the blunt edge against his shoulders. Kisame looked down to the two masked Shinobi from the Leaf.

Something about them felt off, somehow.

One of them slowly drew the short blade of the Tanto from their back. Kisame realized it then. "You're both a little on the short side, aren't you?" Kisame taunted with a jagged grin, "Especially you." He pointed his sword to the shortest of the pair sporting a mask that looked distinctly like a spider. Kisame hadn't ever encountered a spider amongst the Leaf Anbu, not that he had the chance to fight them very often. In fact, he had only ever fought with one other squad of Anbu from the leaf.

The other mask was that of an orange-reddish fish or something of the sort. Kisame glanced over the figures, not once dropping his guard. Like a predator in wait, he watched for an opportunity. The fish moved first, hands quickly twisting through signs Kisame didn't recognise.

Kisame launched himself forward. Bringing his sword down between the hands of the fish Anbu, ending the flow and breaking the Jutsu before it could form. Kisame flinched back as the glinting silver steel of a short blade rushed between his vision.

Kisame brought back his Odachi in a quick swing aimed for the spider mask. The ringing of their blades was a surprising tone. Kisame grinned down at the little Anbu, "Oho? Not bad."

The spider ticked their teeth and grunted as Kisame added to the pressure of his sword, forcing the spider to adjust their blade down. The sound of air slicing from behind him was his only warning. Kisame released the lock on their blades and jumped high into the air. The spider followed.

The blades of air sliced through the ground where they had stood less than a second ago. The spider moved in the air, bringing the short blade towards his thigh, Kisame repelled it with little effort and with a swing of his leg, he drove the heel of his foot into the spider's shoulder, sending the blade wielder crashing down. Kisame landed in the dust cloud of the aftermath of the Jutsu. He couldn't sense his enemy.

The dust shifted. Kisame dodged narrowly as the blade sliced through the airborne dirt, his neck marginally free from being split open. His opponent was a sensory-type, he quickly realised. Kisame slowed his breathing and listened for any movement.

None.

This spider was quiet.

The dust shifted again, this time on his right. He moved. The familiar feeling of his skin being torn open with cool steel ran up his arm and through every part of his body as the rushing of his blood accelerated. It was a light scratch but it still served to hype him up a little and he blindly searched for his enemy.

Instinct alone alerted him to the incoming attack from behind. Kisame launched out a sweeping kick catching the warmth of skin as his strike collided and sent his opponent off to his left. The dust was beginning to settle but he still couldn't see or sense his opponent.

Through the parting dust, Kisame caught sight of reflecting light, he dodged the dagger-like blade as it swung past him. The spider brought it back around, he could see their silhouette through the cloud. Bringing up his Odachi, Kisame swung the long blade through the silhouette, feeling nothing, he knew the spider evaded his strike. The little Anbu dropped to the ground and raced in towards him. Pulling his longsword back up in an angle, he caught the smaller blade with his own and pushed against it.

The area cleared and he could see once again.

Kisame glanced around the area in search for the other Anbu, he needed to kill them both, he couldn't have one of them getting away and squealing back to their Kage. He caught sight of the fish sitting high in the trees, Shinobi wire curled around his fingers and glinted ever so slightly in the light filtered through the leaves. The weight of the small Anbu vanished from beneath his blade.

Kisame snapped his gaze over to the spider who vanished from their spot in a swift flicker, reappearing slightly above in one of the best body-flicker Jutsu he had ever seen himself. The spider perched in a crouch on a near-invisible wire, Tanto in one hand and a Kunai in the other. Kisame's eyes slid over to the fish Anbu. The taller Anbu raised his hands and tightened the wires, he shifted his had to the side and tugged a finger out tightly.

The sound of wire shaking snapped all of Kisame's attention and the spider was launched straight for him. He had barely any time to react, bringing his sword up to divert the steel of the smaller blade. The spider twisted as they sailed past him and landed on another wire. They shot off again, propelled by the slingshot of their combo. Kisame could only dodge attack after attack in this annoying duo's combination. Kisame parried and found that he had no time to counter, the spider would already be gone from his reach and twisting for another graceful landing on the invisible wire. He blocked in an attempt to halt all of the spider's momentum but they just twisted and readjusted accordingly. They were attempting to wear him down. What they probably didn't know was that it would take a while. He looked to the spider, then again, if the spider was a sensory-type then they should have a general idea of the size of his chakra reserves. It was fair to guess that they had some other plan in mind.

Kisame dodged another strike, a simple plan lingered on his thoughts. Aiming for the spider did nothing to help himself out of the web he was caught in. As the spider spun past his strike, leaving a slice on his cheek, Kisame took the brief moment where the spider would land and redirect to change targets. Kisame wasted no time as he kicked off the ground in a chakra enhanced leap towards the fish.

He swatted away a hasty Kunai aimed at him from the spider from behind and ploughed on after the fish Anbu. The fish took the split-second distraction to drop the wires and arm himself with a pair of Kunai. Kisame attacked, the Odachi collided heavily and Kisame couldn't help the grin that crawled across his face as the fish grunted under the impact.

From behind, the spider rushed in. Kisame threw the fish back with sheer force and turned to the spider, meeting their blade. "Plucky little thing, aren't you?" Kisame jeered. He released the hold and jumped away from the fish attacking from his left. Kisame danced between the Kunai strikes aimed for him and the little spider met every swing he aimed for the fish.

Suddenly, the fish turned and ran. Kisame followed close behind and the spider was close behind him. They broke the treeline and a great split in the ground forced the fish to stop.

"Go!" The fish yelled.

Alarmed, Kisame turned to the spider who was already in the air with a kick aimed straight for his jugular. Kisame raised his free arm to block the kick with the exposed flesh of his skin. The other arm ready with his Odachi in hand to counter the spider's blade. Kisame grit his teeth in pain as chakra exploded against his skin and the spider jumped from the platform he had unknowingly created.

Kisame turned and watched as the fish mask bounded up, linking with the spider who spun in the air and threw their teammate across the ravine before disappearing below. The fish landed on the other side and pulled at something invisible as if a great weight threatened to pull him into the ravine below. The wire screeched and the spider swung up from the depths of the ravine and landed gracefully beside the fish.

Kisame was torn between feeling pissed and amazed. He could do nothing to cross without being shot out of the sky like a hunted bird. He shouldn't have played around with the pair of them for so long, he had let his prey escape. Kisame watched the two as they turned to each other in what he assumed to be a discussion.

The fish nodded to the spider and pulled out a scroll. Kisame lost all positive feelings as he saw the scroll that originally belonged to the Hot Water ninja. He casually felt his breast pocket of his ninja attire to feel the tear in the fabric. "Damn." He cursed himself.

Kisame scowled as the fish handed the scroll over to the spider and the smaller Anbu slipped it away into the depths of their grey uniform.

The spider flicked away the minuscule amounts of his blood from their sword and drove it through the neck of the fish Anbu.

Kisame watched wide-eyed as the fish Anbu fell, guided by the sword in their throat, over the edge and down into the ravine. The spider stood, blade shaking, mask angled down to stare after the body lost below. The spider tossed the bloodied Tanto over the edge as well. A few silent seconds passed, Kisame stayed to watch the show go on.

"Is it you're intention to start a war?" Came the light but loud voice of a child from across the ravine.

Kisame regarded his answer for a few brief moments. "No." He called back and the spider nodded in understanding.

"Upon collecting the trade agreement, I was ambushed by a shinobi unknown and my teammate was killed by them." The spider said, spinning a new tail on the events that had already happened. "There doesn't need to be a war between our villages."

Yet.

There didn't need to be a war between their villages yet. The Leaf was a powerhouse that the Mist wasn't prepared to handle at the moment. Not to mention, Kisame felt that if he was to go to war, it should be with the Samehara in his hand. To go to war for his village with such an interesting and powerful sword was a thrilling idea.

"Today is your win, little spider." Kisame grinned, "But I will remember you."

He looked forward to crossing blades with the little spider again. Kisame spun his blade in a little show before sliding the steel away in its sheath. "Try to improve a little, might make next time a bit more interesting."

Kisame laughed and dodged a well-aimed but useless kunai intended for him out of spite. He turned away from the massive scar in the land and the small spider on the other side. Kisame strolled back into the darkness of the forest.


	10. Chapter 10

Honorable grandson mentions:

To both **Sam est classe** and **sjlovesstories** for such inspiring and cherished reviews. Both of you wrote over 200 words! I nearly cried.

I read every review multiple times and every comment inspires me and challenges me to write more. To try better. I want to thank you all!

This chapter is a milestone for me. This is 10 chapters, 100k words and the 10th consecutive update. I know a month is a long time to wait but for those who return every single month, thank you so much. You are the reason I want to write. To take you on this journey with me.

Without further rambling.

Enjoy.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

The village was the same as it had always been.

As if he hadn't left it behind.

As if he hadn't deliberately set the Nine-tailed demon loose in the middle of the night.

It irked him slightly, how well the village was able to rebound. Well, only its outer appearance had managed to make a comeback. If his information was correct, then the village was struggling economically, and a dark seed of animosity had been planted and fostered unknowingly by himself.

Tobi wasn't one to let an opportunity pass him by.

This opportunity was a chance creation of his own. It was his to exploit.

Tobi stood in the darkness within the bunker of the Nakano shrine. He had just paid a brief and unknown visit to one Uchiha Yashiro. For an Uchiha, the man was pathetic and easily scumbled to his Genjutsu. Though he may be pathetic, Yashiro had a loud voice in the clan. A voice of disruption and unease that Tobi was taking full advantage of.

The darkness did nothing to hinder the vision of his lone Mangekyo Sharingan. Before him stood the stone tablet, a clan secret and a sort of relic of the Uchiha. His eye glared at the letters. The tablet was a work of written art, but with his eye, it was an art that Tobi was only able to partially understand.

The incomprehensible letters streamed down the tablet in eight lines of linking parts. Without his Sharingan, they looked almost like a foreign language. With his base Sharingan active, small sentences were warped into something visible. But the Mangekyo revealed parts of its brilliance. Full sentences were made in varying directions, each giving hints to the fuller story of the tablets engraved history. Ironically, the obvious lines were the ones that escaped his understanding the most.

On the second line from the right, moving down to the left diagonal, was the sentence he had come here to read. He had seen it before, memorized it with his Sharingan, but he still returned to the stone tablet whenever he found his train of thought shrouded.

_"When someone who possesses the power of Saṃsāra approaches the moon, an eye will open that is reflected on the moon to grant the eternal dream."_

This one line had his mind-twisting over and over. They were words that he had first been told by Uchiha Madara himself. The power of Samsara. Madara had told him that it was the power of the Rinnegan. The entire thing made almost no sense, but it promised at something more. Somehow, Madara understood more about the wisdom behind the tablet. Tobi was simply following the plan laid out for him.

Madara's plan for peace.

Tobi would follow the plan, the Forbidden Individual Curse Seal on his heart wouldn't allow him to act against Madara's wishes.

So, Tobi would follow the plan, but the plan would slowly become his own. He had little trust in the integrity of Madara, a nagging in the back of his mind that glared at the manipulative nature of his predecessor. A small fragment the remained of Obito. That fragment was often cast aside. Madara trusted him, to some degree, to finish the plan. So, Tobi had been left with everything the man possessed as he willingly passed on. His possessions, his eyes and his name had all been given to Tobi as tools to enact the plan.

A shifting of familiar chakra pulled through the floor behind him. "Nagato has killed Hanzo." Came the dark voice of Zetsu.

Tobi turned his lone visible Sharingan eye to the creature, Madara had been convinced that it was a creation of his own will. Tobi wasn't so sure. Because of this, Tobi kept Zetsu close.

As close as possible.

And he watched.

The only thing that Tobi knew for sure was that Zetsu wanted the plan to happen. For this reason, Tobi didn't speak on his objections of the creature.

"Then we best not keep them waiting."

Zetsu sunk back into the ground.

Tobi left the building, no one was around the shrine at this time of the year, there was a festival in the streets of the village so everybody would be sufficiently distracted. He looked up into the clear skies of the land of fire and counted the seconds, giving Zetsu a head start in his movements. With a small spike of his power enhanced by his Sharingan, Tobi found himself comfortably pulled away into the space of his own being before reappearing alongside Zetsu in a cold room.

Before him stood seven figures, one with blue hair and the rest had similar shades of orange in varying lengths and styles. In the back of the room, cradled in the creator of impact, was the corpse of Hanzo the Salamander.

Tobi smiled in satisfaction behind his mask, "Finally, your dreams come to fruition…" The Hidden Rain now belonged to Nagato, the crowd of seven turned to Tobi as his voice boomed deeply through the room. "It was worth all the sacrifices it took to get here. It was a long journey, but… This is the end of the eternal warfare of the Hidden Rain."

Zetsu pulled himself entirely out of the ground to stand in his Akatsuki cloak, solid black decorated with a few simple red clouds. The entire room matched in their cloaks, everybody, except for Tobi himself.

The body of Yahiko stood at the forefront of the group, Nagato's favourite little puppet. Tobi addressed him directly, "All that is left is to conquer the land and create the world we want. Now I need to ask the both of you to help fulfil my dreams." He asked the two original members of Akatsuki because despite there being seven figures, only two people actually there.

His eyes flickered over to the blue-haired woman, Konan. She stood by passively, watching Tobi and Zetsu with no clear emotion on her face. Nagato's projection controlled the six orange-haired husks. His Rinnegan, formally belonging to Madara, allowed Nagato impossible feats. His blood of Senju and Uzumaki could not only sustain the powerful oculars but also harness it in a way that could help push forward the plan.

"I believe that was the promise." Tobi finished. In exchange for ridding the Rain of the killer of Yahiko, Nagato's dearest friend and the former owner of the body Tobi spoke to, the Akatsuki would aid him in his plots to reform their world.

"I understand," Nagato spoke through Yahiko, newly named Pain. "So what do you specifically require?"

"First is members. In order to move as 'the Akatsuki', I'd say we need to gather…" He pondered the number briefly, small enough to be contained but still be large enough to pair off into teams. "Let's say ten members, not including me."

Every pair of eyes analyzed him, Tobi's blazing Sharingan watched them right back. "In the Akatsuki, we already have you and Konan," Tobi said, grouping all of the orange-haired Paths as simply Nagato being one. "With Zetsu, that makes three." Zetsu would be keeping his eye on their movements in times that Tobi could not since Tobi had decided to act from the shadows for now. "Go and gather seven others." He ordered.

"Why not count yourself among us?" Pain asked.

"I need to take care of things behind the scenes. When the time comes, I will join the Akatsuki but until then… You will be the leader."

Silence hung in the room for a contemplative second.

"Understood." Pain replied. "Originally, your plan was one of my goals. It's good to know that we're both on the same page."

Tobi couldn't help the pleased grin that formed and the small "Heh." of his weak amusement.

"So what are we going to do about finding other members?" Asked Konan from the other side of the room.

"I already have my eye on some. It would be a tragedy if any who were unworthy joined." Tobi spoke in an indirect warning.

Konan stepped forward, "Who are they." Clearly she was demanding the information, but if it would aid him in the long run then so be it.

"I have three in particular in mind." He began, holding his fingers to indicate the number more clearly, as if he were speaking to children. Tobi was actually younger than them but everyone else except for Zetsu believed him to be Uchiha Madara. He'd need to sell the act as such.

"One stole the Hidden Waterfall's secret technique and is now an immortal, Kakazu. Second, a rouge of the Sand, a puppeteering genius, Sasori. The third and final one is someone not too distant from me…" Though the third still needed to be pushed and swayed much. "I will bring him in myself."

Tobi turned to the smirking creature behind him, "Zetsu here will be your guide to contact each of them. Bring them into the Akatsuki."

Tobi grinned, "Now go. Complete your assignment. For our ambitions."

With a tug and pull of his chakra, his body was gone in a vortex.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

The sun was gone and the shadows grew over the park he liked to visit. It was one of the most busiest parks in all of Konoha.

And it was the only place where, some days, there were some kids that would let him play with them. This wasn't one of those days.

He stood on the swing, a hand wrapped around each of the chains to keep his balance as he laughed as loudly as he could.

"I'm telling you, you guys don't have a chance against the great Uzumaki Naruto." He declared in a loud challenge. The three kids didn't reply, didn't stop, they didn't even turn around to give a sparing glance or a roll of their eyes.

With the other kids gone, he was along again.

Naruto lowered himself to sit on the swing, the overwhelming loneliness hung over his head like a looming cloud and siphoned at his energy. Maybe he should just go home, but then it wouldn't really be any different. Then again, somehow his room felt even more cold and dark than the night. Although, it was summer and it was still warm, even with the sun halfway past the mountains.

Naruto looked up briefly from glaring at the ground.

Beside him sat a boy.

Naruto felt his heart jump into his throat in pure fright. "Woah!" He yelled out, nearly falling right off the swing as he recoiled in shock. Only by flailing his arms out did he manage to keep from rolling backwards into the dirt.

Naruto turned his eyes to the boy next to him with squinted, suspicious eyes. "Don't go scarin' me like that." He demanded.

Naruto could see the amusement in the boy's dark eyes, "Sorry." He said gently.

Naruto couldn't ever remember that tone being directed at him. His eyes widened in surprise.

Well, that's weird. Good weird, but weird.

"So, like, who are you?" Naruto said, trying to get the guy to talk so they wouldn't leave too soon.

The boy pushed off from the ground and rocked in the swing, pushing it to move. "It doesn't matter who I am, does it?" The boy replied.

Naruto returned to watching him suspiciously. The boy was older than him by a few years, he noticed. "My mom says I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers." He lied.

"She's gone, though?" The boy replied in quiet confusion.

Naruto chuckled in a bashful smile and scratched at the back of his head in embarrassment. "So, you know that?" He admitted, feeling the familiar pang in his gut.

"Uzumaki Naruto is a famed prankster."

At the older boy's words, Naruto felt a sense of pride swell up in him. "Am I that famous?"

"In a certain sense."

Loud and proud laughter swelled up and burst from him in his sense of accomplishment. Now that he was famous, it would be impossible for anyone to just outright ignore him. At the very least, they'd be on their guard against his pranks.

"Your friends ran off."

Naruto's mood immediately plummeted again, he pushed it aside. "If they don't get my pranks, then they're not my pals." He said in a happy tone.

The boy didn't reply.

He no longer fueled the back and forth motion of the swing and eventually began to slow.

Long hair tied back into a ponytail had swung free from beneath the high collared shirt. His black shirt looked clean, but Naruto could make out small tears that had been re-sewn and the sleeves at the beginning of his elbows looked to have taken some damage. The boy was also wearing dark pants that were strapped at the bottom of his shins and shinobi sandals. His clothes screamed ninja.

"Bro!" Naruto said loudly to catch the attention of the boy who had lost himself in the depths of his mind. A coldness had formed in the boy's black eyes. A coldness that Naruto was familiar with being directed at him.

"Hm?" The boy sounded, when the cold black eyes turned to look at Naruto, that coldness melted away as if it had never existed. To be looked at like he was someone was all that he wanted. To have that coldness melt from their gaze like it had with this random big kid. Naruto wondered. He stewed about in his own mind all the time. Why did people stare at him like that? What had he ever done to them?

But now he thought, what had this boy thought of that made his eyes turn so freezingly piercing? Only then to turn to _him_ and have it all fade away?

This boy knew him. Had known that he had no mother and about his drive for pranking.

The boy tilted his head in question.

"You got real quiet all of a sudden. You all right?" Naruto asked.

The boy smiled a little, "I'm fine." Naruto didn't believe him, they were words that were simple to say to others. He used them all the time.

"All right, good." He didn't believe the boy was fine, but he wouldn't butt in on whatever had turned his kind gaze to something like the blade of a Kunai.

The boy turned away and looked to the fading orange of the sky. "It's probably time for you to be getting home." He said.

Naruto kicked at the ground, he knew that. But what was the point of going home when there was nothing to do and no one to talk to? There was just a dark and empty room. "I can go home, but it's not like there's anyone there," Naruto admitted, burying the pain of the truth as much as he could.

The boy stood from the swing, "Then I'll go home."

Dread, confusion and surprise set into his gut and sounded in his voice. "What?"

"Keep fighting." He said.

Keep fighting. The words echoed in his head. His academy teacher said it all the time whenever they faced a problem on paper or if people tried to give up in running laps around the track. This was the first time that those words actually began to mean something. To keep fighting meant to do your best, to keep going, to never give up.

Naruto chuckled to himself, rubbing at his nose with a finger. Coming from this boy, those words sounded cool. Naruto didn't want to forget this boy and didn't want the boy to forget about him either.

Naruto launched himself off of the swing and jabbed his thumb into his chest.

"My name's Uzumaki Naruto. I'm gonna' be the Hokage someday!" Naruto declared.

"You are? Hokage, huh?" The boy smiled proudly, and a light ignited in his dark eyes. "I hope you are."

"I totally am going to be Hokage, remember me till then, bro!" Naruto hoped. He wanted to show that he could. That he would. Naruto watched as the boy disappeared into the night with a wave goodbye.

The park was empty, the stars in the sky shone brightly and Naruto couldn't help but smile up at them. The smile slipped a little as he shoved his hands behind his head and strolled down the street.

He didn't want to go home just yet.

Naruto pulled out his orange froggy wallet and sighed at the sad amount of coins he had left. Only enough for one bowl of ramen. He'd be eating the cup stuff for the rest of the week, again he sighed loudly to himself.

His feet carried him to his favourite place in the entire village. The ramen stand was bright and inviting in the early night. The village was still busy despite the sun being gone. Lot's of restaurants and stands were at their busiest at this time. Naruto wasn't surprised to see another customer in Ichiraku Ramen. It was the best ramen in town after all, if Naruto said so himself.

"Welcome!" Old man Teuchi bellowed from behind the counter, moving the noodles with his super long chopsticks.

Naruto climbed up on the tall stool, if Naruto stood beside it, the red seat came to his shoulders. He could remember not long ago, the seat had been almost as tall as himself. Naruto grinned at his growth, it felt like an accomplishment.

"Oh, it's you, Naruto!" Teuchi grinned and Naruto grinned back. "Yup! One bowl of Pork Ramen please!" Naruto asked.

"Coming right up."

Naruto glanced beside him, one seat away sat a girl who looked like she had only just got her ordered bowl. Naruto was proud of himself when he only needed a glance at her bowl to know that she had ordered Miso Ramen. She glanced to him and caught his staring eye. Naruto chuckled in embarrassment and looked away. He felt her stare burning on the side of his head, but Naruto tried his best to ignore it. It was easier to ignore the feeling when his own bowl was set down on the counter in front of him.

Three slices of pork, fish cakes and spring onions sat on top of fat ramen noodles and soaked in the broth. He could smell it and his mouth was watering.

Naruto grabbed a pair of chopsticks and clapped his hands together when he saw Teuchi staring at him from the corner of his eye. "Thank you for the meal!" Naruto shouted out, making the old man smile. "Dig in!"

It was the old man that had taught him that. On the very first night Naruto had come to the ramen stand, enticed by the scents and promise of shelter from the rain. It was that night, and a free bowl, that started his love for all types of ramen.

Naruto slurped down his noodles greedily, tactically saving his meat for later when he would enjoy it the most. Naruto listened to the bustling streets as he made the effort to chew the noodles before swallowing, doing everything he could to make the noodles last. It wasn't working very well. It just wasn't normal to eat ramen slowly, that and Teuchi would probably scold him.

"Two more bowls please." The girl ordered. Naruto stared at her with bug eyes. Two bowls? But she had already eaten one! Weren't girls supposed to be light eaters and go on diets and stuff? That's what all the girls in the academy whined about anyway.

The girl met his wide-eyed stare and smiled partially before turning back to the old man. "One more for me and one for him."

Even Teuchi paused to look at the girl, "Sure thing!" The old man said loudly.

Naruto openly stared at the girl. Dark eyes looked back at him.

"Why?" Naruto asked, the noodles abandoned by the chopsticks in his grip.

"Because you remind me of someone." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

Naruto frowned at the answer, "Who?" He asked.

The girl ignored his question and pointed to his bowl. "Better eat that before the next one comes."

His eyes lingered on her, she was dressed in a tan-coloured shirt with a green jacket over the top and black shinobi pants. Around her neck, his eyes lingered on the Regulation ninja head plate. He met her eyes again to find her smiling as he analyzed her.

She was a Kunoichi.

Better yet, she was paying for his next bowl of ramen.

Naruto averted his gaze and quickly finished off his bowl just as another was placed beside him.

"So, who are you?" Naruto slid his new bowl closer to him and shoved the piping hit noodles in his mouth eagerly.

"Introduce yourself first, manners matter, Naruto." She lectured.

Naruto scrunched up his nose, "Why do I need to introduce myself if you already know my name?" He asked.

The girl just rose a lazy eyebrow and peered down at him. Naruto averted his eyes from her probing stare. Ah! Whatever!

He turned back to her, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Future Hokage!" He declared.

A blink was the single reaction he earned from the girl. She turned away from him and smiled to herself.

"Well, Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage, I'm Kyoko." She said as she picked up her chopsticks and pulled ramen from the broth.

Naruto returned to his own meal. He managed to eat half of it before his curiosity peaked, halfway into the second cut of pork. "So, you're a ninja?" He asked, making an effort not to look in her direction so he could seem uninterested.

Kyoko turned to the boy in slight surprise, "Oh." She touched at the head plate tied around her neck and chuckled. "Yeah, I've been a Shinobi for a few years now." Naruto briefly wondered how old she was but didn't dare to ask. He knew that some women were touchy with their age, so he just hummed a reply.

Laughter came from the girl beside him.

"What?" Naruto demanded.

She just chuckled and shook her head. "Nothing."

This girl was almost as weird as this day had been.

"Wanna' hear some cool ninja stories?" She asked with a grin. Naruto's attention snapped back to the girl with a splitting grin. "Heck yeah!"

That night, he went home with a full stomach after having eaten four bowls of ramen. He fell asleep almost as soon as he hit the bed, dreaming of a wild battle between himself and a Ninja Panther. A dream not unlike a story he had just been told. He woke the next morning, eager for classes for the first time in a long while.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

Kyoko felt good about herself. Last night she had finally talked to the boy. The son of the fourth Hokage. It had taken her a long time to piece together the puzzle.

The swirling chakra of the demon fox was meticulously hidden in the pools of the boy's own life force, which were massive for a child his age.

The rumours that the boy had been the cause of Lord Fourths death.

The gag order on the Nine-tailed demon.

The uncanny resemblance between the father and son.

But it was his chakra that made her realize. Not the monster fox hidden beneath but the natural chakra from Uzumaki Naruto. He and his father shared more than just a physical resemblance. The chakra was distinctly similar in their feel. Like a warm summer's breeze that flowed on a controlled path.

Although Kyoko estimated that Naruto would have much more chakra than his father had by the time the boy grew older. Judging by the overwhelming natural reserves for his current age.

"Oi, let's have a little chat, yeah?" Came the voice of her Captain.

"What do you need, Kakashi-senpai?" She felt the irritation flicker in his chakra at the nickname Team Ro had slapped him with. It was the only form of revenge they could get away with from their demanding Captain.

"We need to discuss your fighting style."

Kyoko frowned behind the mask and turned directly to her Captain. "What needs to be adjusted?" she asked seriously.

"Honestly?" He placed a hand on his side in a way that made the silver-haired man look… Sassy, "Everything."

Kyoko's eyebrow twitched in annoyance but remained silent, waiting for some type of elaboration or reasoning.

"You're too reckless."

"You're going to need to explain better, Senpai." Kyoko bit back, trying to restrain the building attitude from her voice.

"Your abilities are better suited for long-ranged battles and quick executions. Yet you dive blade first into close combat and never properly utilize your abilities. I can count on my hands the number of times you've used your clan Jutsu despite it being better suited for our missions and arguably one of your better Jutsu. Not only that but you seem to willingly forego using anything that you think is boring."

Kyoko had long since averted her gaze from the ear bashing she was getting. She knew. Of course she knew, she wasn't dumb, that she preferred to fight in unconventional ways. Only when she had been forced into a corner would she use her other abilities.

Kakashi had already stated the only reason loud and clear.

It was boring.

There was no fun in sneaking up behind someone and slitting their throat in silence. There was no exhilaration in standing ten meters away while her Jutsu snapped her opponent's bones for her.

"Kyoko's weird." Came a voice from off to the side that had apparently been listening in, despite being in the middle of a spare with Ko. "She enjoys fighting," Itachi said.

Kakashi sighed and rubbed at the back of his head, "So I've noticed."

She stood there, like a scorned child, waiting for her captain to continue. "Either adjust your style or improve." He said.

"Improve how, specifically?" She asked, almost eagerly. Kyoko was more than happy to improve, delighted to train more and more.

Her captain regarded her quietly for a few seconds. "You prefer Taijutsu and Kenjutsu most, don't you?" Kyoko nodded her reply. "I have a few friends that owe me favours, I'll have you train with them for a short while, see how that works out. But if you don't improve, I'm removing you from Team Ro. As you are now, you're a liability."

It was a heavy price to pay if she failed but Kyoko had no problem with the deal.

She also had no idea what she was getting herself into.

She should have known, Kakashi was somewhat off the normal train so she should have expected that he would wind up being one of the normal ones of his friends.

Hayate Gekko was a genius with blades. Though, he was no less of a demanding slave-driver than Kakashi was in training. He drove her ruthlessly into the ground if she dared to under perform. Other than being mercilessly thrashed, both verbally and physically, Kyoko respected the sleepy-looking man. He was the teacher of Yugao, one of her old Anbu squadmates, for a reason.

Kyoko improved rapidly in her blade work in less than a month.

Maito Gai, however, was a monster. A monster of pure determination, resilience and dedication. Proof that you can, in fact, get by on hard work alone. That talent isn't always needed. He was the top Taijutsu specialist of the village, she had come to realize. Gai often called himself her captain's rival. He would rant on and on about Kakashi or youth or give annoying encouragement as he ran beside her in laps around the village with double weights strapped to every limb. Or walked fifty miles on their hands. Or did a thousand sit-ups in ten minutes. And if she couldn't complete one task, another equally ridiculous goal was set until Kyoko found herself collapsing into a shaking, aching mess on the grass.

To have her knowingly subjected to this, even stop by to watch, Kakashi was brutal.

But, eventually, it paid off.

Her captain began to demand her on the front lines of their team. The first to throw the punch. Sometimes putting her in the most desperate of positions as nothing more than a decoy.

She loved every moment of it.

She had even been gifted a katana, her first katana ever. With her old tanto willingly lost, it was time that Kyoko moved on from the dagger. She had grown from the seven-year-old that found the blade heavy. The tanto had long since begun to feel small in her hand anyway. But a katana had so much more reach, and she had so much more raw strength ready to pair with it.

"She'd marry the damn blade if she could," Itachi said exasperatedly to an amused looking Shisui as the three of them rested on the grassy edge of the cliff.

"I do." Kyoko joked with a grin and Shisui barked a laugh. They hadn't seen each other for a while but it was like nothing had changed. Like they weren't growing up at all, like their problems had never existed in the first place. These times were among her favourite in recent days. Right up there with girl time, spent in the company of Inuzuka Hana and Uchiha Izumi.

"Speaking of marriage - " Shisui said carefully.

"Don't." Itachi hissed.

Kyoko stared wide-eyed at the boy's, she knew that they kept her in the dark about their clan troubles but never before had she heard that tone from Itachi.

"What's up?" she asked.

Itachi glared at Shisui then sighed. "My father started looking into candidates for an arranged marriage."

Kyoko winced, "Why?"

"I was naïve and spoke when I shouldn't have. Something I must've picked up from you." He caught the first launched in his direction and smirked. She tsked and dropped her hand back to the ground.

"You and your dad are butting heads?" Kyoko asked.

"Something like that," Itachi replied and Shisui flopped back into the grassy ground.

"Is it about Anbu?"

Itachi shrugged, one of his signs that he was uncomfortable with speaking about it. A plea to drop the subject.

"Why don't you two just elope? That way, neither of you would be forced into an arranged marriage. I mean, you'd already be married and there'd be nothing they could do about it."

Silence hung in the air and Shisui sat up quickly, "Clarifying! That was a joke! You two _need_ to stop taking me seriously!"

Itachi snorted, "We already know not to take you seriously. Not with that hairstyle, anyway."

Shisui glared at Itachi half-heartedly and ran his fingers through his messy mop of hair. "You're just jealous, ponytail." Shisui flopped back onto the ground with closed eyes. Itachi had recently started tying his hair back as it slowly grew longer.

Itachi glanced at Kyoko and she met his gaze.

She understood.

Shisui's ideas were often ridiculous and near impossible, despite his complaints whenever Kyoko managed to pull one off. But this was a plausible back up plan if nothing else, hell, it was a clean loophole that was exploitable whenever it was needed.

Kyoko had almost forgot, with all her missions and training and simply trying to keep a social life in her spare time, she was still the heiress of the Nara clan. That needed to change before events beyond her control played out.

Itachi sighed and followed Shisui's lead, laying back on the ground. His eyes closed and brows furrowed in thought, she wanted to know his thoughts in that moment. She buried the feeling of a rising blush and threw herself in between the boys, crashing harshly against the ground.

A hand found hers and chakra lightly pulsed against it. Kyoko remembered Ninshu. The experience was so strange that the feeling was etched into her memory.

She pushed her chakra to link with his own. When that connected feeling clicked into place, Kyoko sighed.

His emotions were powerful, he felt more deeply than her. His joy, his anger, his determination. She felt like she could get addicted to the feeling, when recently she had been losing touch with her own. The Anbu hadn't yet numbed Itachi any, if anything he was more. More determined, more angry, more accepting. He wasn't thinking, she felt none of the thoughts as she had last time.

She searched his emotions and basked in the comforting way they reassured her. She had never been alone, thanks to the two of them. She found herself at peace, drifting off to a sleep lulled by the push and pull of their chakra.

Itachi was her best friend, she thought dearly, she had no problems sharing her future with him if he needed it. His chakra rippled from her thoughts, but Kyoko was already asleep.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

Anbu was really something else. Even after all these years, Kakashi had never been able to justify some of his missions reasoning.

He tried not to put labels to anything.

Revenge.

Justice.

Necessary.

But sometimes he found himself thinking. Am I really preventing another war? Is this what's best for the village? Should I even be here? Alive? After everything that's happened?

They were all excuses.

But making excuses wasn't his job. He followed orders.

Kakashi watched with diminished hope as a party of ten Hidden Frost shinobi rushed for the four-man team of Chunin from Konoha.

Kakashi's team wasn't ordered to save them. They were there to watch them die and act on revenge. Those were his orders.

They had been two weeks away from solidifying an alliance with the Hidden Frost. But apparently, there were other ideas brewing. The Leaf ninja were ambushed and killed swiftly. Kakashi stood from his crouched position up in the trees.

"So this is how it's going to be, huh?" Kakashi mused out loud. Sometimes, these situations just couldn't be helped. It was the reason Kakashi and the rest of his team were needed to watch from above.

Kakashi pushed out from the trees as he took the lead. His hand tingled and chirped with the lightning chakra. He aimed for the centre of the group of Frost ninja.

His hand sunk through flesh and blood, tearing a hole where his victim's heart should have been. The man was silhouetted by the bright blue light of his Chidori. An achingly familiar sight.

Kakashi both cherished and loathed his best technique.

As he pulled his blood-soaked arm from the body, Itachi landed in the midst of the startled Frost ninja. He was followed closely by Tenzo and one other.

Kakashi knew that all of Danzo's subordinates didn't have names. They were given a new name for each mission. But Kakashi knew this Aburame, even if he introduced himself to the squad as Sugaru.

Sugaru was nothing more than a code name.

"Konoha Anbu!" one of the Frost ninja yelled in warning. With a quick hand sign from his left, a large tree branch tangled around the man's throat and tightened like a snake until the man fell limp.

Tenzo's Wood style Jutsu was as multifunction as always. It was a prize of the village, born of Orochimaru's disgusting experiments.

A blue-haired Frost ninja glared in Kakashi's direction. "The Leaf never had any intention of making an alliance with us, hm?" He spat.

Kakashi kept his tone dry, "You came at us first."

Leaving no room for any response as the lightning of his hand buried in the frost ninja's stomach.

From behind came a loud shriek of an enemy charging for a relaxed-looking weasel mask. Kakashi's Sharingan watched as Itachi intercepted the raised long sword intended for the boy.

A simple grab at the wrist halted his opponent. A single glance of Itachi's Sharingan had the man falling to the ground like a puppet cut loose from its strings.

A blade ran through the man's neck sending the Frost ninja's head rolling on the ground.

Kakashi stopped to watch, Sugaru turned to Itachi and murmured quietly. Kakashi couldn't hear what was said but both turned away in search of a new enemy. Going from the tightening of Itachi's grip around his Kunai, it wasn't anything friendly.

Kakashi watched the area. Sugaru decapitated an enemy begging on his knees. Tenzo took care of a Kunoichi trying to flee. The second to last enemy yelled at Kakashi is desperation. "This will make the land of Frost and the Leaf enemies!"

Kakashi resparked his Chidori and replied gently, "Your lives will prevent that." As he tore open his enemy's celiac plexus.

"Oi!" Tenzo shouted in warning.

Kakashi pulled his arm form a cooling corpse for the third time that day and turned in time to see a boy, even younger than Itachi was, scream a war cry as he plunged his Kunai into Itachi's stomach.

Kakashi couldn't help the slip of worry as he called out.

"I'm all right," Itachi said his eyes not moving from the younger boy. The Frost boy began to shake and sob, knowing the fate he was about to come to. The boy whimpered sounds of fear as he choked through his tears.

"You're a proper ninja now. Be strong." Itachi said quietly, kindly. Sugaru made to step forward but Kakashi held out a hand to stop him. Tenzo stood by his side watching quietly. Killing children was one of the most despicable tasks of the Anbu. But it still had to be done.

"You didn't run away; you came right at me. So I want to treat you with the courtesy a full-fledged ninja deserves." Itachi explained to the shaking boy. From behind, Kakashi could see Itachi grasp at a Kunai. In a single movement, the Frost boy's throat was parted.

Itachi stepped back and gently pried the Kunai from his stomach.

Kakashi approached Itachi who stared down into the empty abyss of the Frost child's dead eyes. With his eyes on the bloodied Kunai, Kakashi rested a hand on Itachi's shoulder.

"It isn't deep," Itachi said distantly.

"Still, let's head back and get expert eyes to have a look, yeah? We're done here." Kakashi gave a side along look to Tenzo, who nodded back to him.

The day was almost over, Kakashi thought to himself.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

Sarutobi Ruma, the eldest son of the Third Hokage, had very few moments of pride in his line of work.

While his two students argued over the pros and cons of which 'Run' they thought was best for this mission, Ruma smiled. It was good to have his team back.

Ruma had not worked with Kyoko on a mission since her invitation into Anbu. Ko, on the other hand, joined in on a few missions posing as his canine counterpart.

But now their unique combination was needed in a precarious mission.

Orochimaru was finally back on the move. The Leaf had been following him as much as possible, but that snake had far too many holes to hide in. But now they had a lead.

Orochimaru had been lurking around the village. For what reason?

To obtain that reason was their job.

Ko and himself were more focused on the physical tracking, Ruma had spent more time pounding information on hunting down a ninja than anything else into the boy. If he weren't lacking in some questionably important areas, like Taijutsu and experience, Ruma would recommend the boy for the Special Jounin exams.

That way, the boy could surpass his hurdle of Chunin.

Not that he couldn't become Chunin if he just took the damn exam, but Ko refused the nomination that had been given just a few weeks ago.

The next exam was only months away.

Ruma discarded his train of thought.

"No 'Runs' today. We'll be doing this a bit differently."

His two bickering students turned to him in confusion.

"How different?" Ko asked suspiciously, giving a weary frown.

"Our target is Orochimaru the Snake Sannin, he isn't someone who leaves decoys to throw pursuers off of his tracks. He cleans his tracks like we breathe." Ruma let this snippet of information sink into the young heads.

Ruma had already informed his little minions on the mission. Orochimaru was hiding away in a nearby town. They needed to find him so that Kyoko could learn the snake's chakra. That way, they would be able to monitor who he wanted to contact within the village. That should allow them to begin hypothesizing the reason that would attract Orochimaru back to the village.

One thing was certain. Whatever interested Orochimaru to bring him so close to danger, it couldn't be good.

Ruma and Ko took the lead. Like hound and hunter, they scoured the town in search of Orochimaru, Kyoko wisely followed behind. She knew her strengths and trusted in theirs.

They made swift work of finding the Sannin. Though, he wasn't exactly being discreet. It was almost like he was intending to be found. Ruma frowned from the cliff edge they stationed themselves on, Orochimaru was deftly intelligent. A genius when devoted. Dangerous when intrigued.

"Got a feel for it yet?" Ko asked in a hushed tone. Likely, the boy was asking about the Sannin's chakra.

Kyoko nodded, "I've got it."

"Now what, Sensei?" Ko turned in his direction, looking across Kyoko from her other side.

"We follow at a distance and take note," Ruma said.

"Distance specifically would be…?" Kyoko trailed off in question.

Ruma shrugged, "Ideally, we'd want to keep him within sights but," as if on que, Orochimaru stepped from the cabin lodge he and his followers were staying in. Orochimaru had three lackeys with him. "The chances of a man like him staying out in the open is slim at best."

"So, this part's on Kyoko?" Ko asked clicking his teeth in annoyance, "How boring."

"Count yourself lucky, brat. What would we be doing if she didn't have her broken ass ability? We'd be getting very close and personal with the snake."

Ko didn't reply, he just turned his gaze to their target with a 'hmph' sound.

Orochimaru and his lackeys stood in bright daylight looking around the surrounding area with a perception hidden behind a casual façade.

"What are they doing?" Ko asked in confusion.

"They're waiting," Ruma said.

"We have a third party approaching the target," Kyoko said.

Let the mission begin.

The third-party arrived in a group of three, their heavy cloaks obscured Ruma's vision from being able to identify any affiliation. Ruma turned to his youngest student.

"Do you have a read on their chakra?" he asked the stiff-looking girl.

"Uh… yeah, more or less." She replied. His eyes traced over tense posture, her high alert attention was solely for the seven ninjas gathered in the distance.

Something was wrong, her mannerisms alone were enough to tell him that. But why hadn't she said anything?

She stiffened again and shot up in alarm. "They know we're here!"

Suddenly, their targets were gone in a puff of smoke the two groups had divided amongst each other and disappeared all in different directions.

"Keeping tabs on Orochimaru is our top priority! You two will follow him but keep your distance and keep hidden." Ruma ordered urgently. "Which way did he go?"

"North, towards the village."

With a single hand sign and almost half of his chakra, four clones appeared, "I'll follow the others." He left no time for his little students to argue as he and his clones scattered. He had faith that they would at least keep each other safe.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

Kyoko knew this chakra.

She stood in the shadows, high in the rafters of the immense building. Hidden amongst several other Root Shinobi who didn't have a clue that she was less than a few meters away. Kyoko had never stepped foot in the Root building before, but she had watched over it for a long, long time. Months of continuous, unending, demanding focus.

Shimura Danzo had a distinct chakra. Like a heavy wind that only existed to add pressure. Kyoko had been ordered by the Third Hokage numerous times to monitor the man's movements.

He was the leader of the separate Anbu faction, Root. Usually, he had his subordinates do his dirty work. So when he had shown up in person to meet with Orochimaru, Kyoko was immediately alarmed.

Kyoko knew the types of things Root got up to.

She knew and yet she couldn't tell a single soul. Lord Third had silenced her with an SS-ranked gag order. The only person whom she could relay her information was the Hokage himself.

This left Kyoko in a very delicate situation.

She had information that even the Land of Iron would want, and those Samurai wanted nothing to do with the Ninja nations. She not only held information on the actions of Root and a fair amount of their recent movements but many other secrets as well, secrets Kyoko would die before uttering.

She had learnt her lesson very quickly when she had first joined Anbu.

Information was worth more than lives.

The cost of information was worth thousands of lives. Civilian and Shinobi lives alike were taken ruthlessly in pretty bouts of information warfare.

That information would determine the lives of a thousand others.

But this, this was something else.

Kyoko watched as a jar was set on top of the table beside the two men. The lackeys long dismissed further into the depths of the Root headquarters, the Foundation.

Kyoko stood alone, Ko had stayed outside like the good little dog he was pretending to be. His eye waited for their target outside in case something happened to Kyoko while she was busy being a fly on the wall.

Their mission was to gather information on Orochimaru. And this information was judged more important than their lives. But Kyoko had faith in her abilities. Her stealth beyond her peers and her sensor abilities only aided her in suppressing herself. She matched her chakra flow equally to that of her surroundings. It was more of a camouflage than general suppression.

The best way to find someone who was hidden was to find a space of chakra that was muted, dull or just blank compared to the rest of the space around them. She had learnt that back in her Genin days, when she had first asked Ruma-Sensei to teach her how to hide her chakra better. Those days were now nothing more than references and fond memories.

Kyoko had figured that rather than hiding her presence, it was better for her to become like a shadow in the shadow. Undifferentiated from one another. That was her logic, anyway.

Orochimaru picked up the jar that seemed like a trophy between them. The contents inside that jar made her stomach swirl with disgust. A small circle bobbed in the liquid, the Sharingan iris all but glowed in the low lighting.

Kyoko was angry, disgusted and unsettled. She buried the emotions; they'd only get in the way of the mission.

"This is a good sample." Orochimaru twisted the jar about as amusement glinted in his eye.

"It was obtained three days ago, a recently deceased Uchiha," Danzo informed in an almost proud tone.

"Yes, there is evidence of age and wear. But the extraction is near perfect. The optical nerves were flawlessly severed." Orochimaru set the jar back onto the table, "There shouldn't be any problems with reconnecting the nerves."

"That boy you've lent me did quite the job, I'll admit. A boy of talent. Not unlike your old teammate." Danzo praised with an ambitious glance to the snake Sannin.

Orochimaru chuckled, "I doubt he'll ever reach Tsunade's level."

"With the fresh blood these days, you'd never guess their limits," Danzo said cryptically.

"Are you talking about Uchiha Itachi?"

"He could be a good example." The nonchalance in his tone was so obviously fake, he didn't even bother to try and seem any less eager.

"I have also witnessed the boy's abilities myself a few years ago, before my departure from the village, and I must agree with you."

Orochimaru pulled out a scroll from the folds of his robe. A simple sign and flex of chakra had an array of tools spilling from the scroll in a neat order.

"Although, the Nara child is just as interesting."

Kyoko felt the ice solidify in her blood as Danzo turned a questioning gaze to Orochimaru. "Shikaku's girl?" he asked.

Orochimaru hummed his confirmation to the question. Danzo scoffed, "That girl is nothing more than a collar that ties Itachi to Hiruzen's Anbu. The boy is blinded by their friendship."

Kyoko frowned, feeling more than a little pissed off at the old man's words.

"Oh?" Orochimaru paused and turned to the bandaged man, "Are you sure it isn't you who is being blinded?"

"I have a foothold in their Anbu squad. The information I have received on the girl has been nothing but notes and comments about how unremarkable and unsuited for Anbu she is."

Orochimaru glanced over the man one more time before turning back to the equipment before him. "It seems that my old Sensei has you fooled."

"Hiruzen?"

Orochimaru shook his head in what looked to be exasperation, "Did you know that he has made Uchiha Shisui an Anbu in name so that the boy may move freely among the Uchiha?"

Danzo's silence spoke for itself.

"Perhaps now is a good time to recheck your facts?" Orochimaru turned to Danzo, "But for now, shall we start?"

With a sigh, Danzo began to unwrap the bandaged around his face.

"Of course."

Three hours she stayed hidden, watching in mortified interest as the Sharingan eye was implanted into the empty socket of Shimura Danzo's right eye.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

Hiruzen sat in the quiet room of his office, pulling in a long stream of fresh nicotine into his lungs. He exhaled into the open space between himself and his old friend, knowing that it would agitate Danzo.

After the reports Hiruzen had received from his son that Root was the reason behind Orochimaru's recent movements, Hiruzen felt like he owed his old friend a lot more than simple irritation. He did wonder, for what reason would Orochimaru try to contact Root?

He set his wandering train of thought aside.

Hiruzen knew exactly why Danzo was here.

"Six months since he's joined Anbu, hm?" There was no need to clarify who he was referring to. Danzo would give himself away eventually.

"What are you talking about?" Danzo said casually, leaning back into the chair across from the small table between them.

Hiruzen raised a brow and pulled the pipe away. "Don't play dumb. I'm talking about the boy you have your eyes on."

Danzo stared at him with narrowed eyes. "Hmph!"

Hiruzen baited him a little further. "He's carrying out his duties faithfully."

"I see."

"Didn't you come to talk about him?" Hiruzen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It appears you now have an Uchiha directly under you now, hm, Hiruzen." Danzo said.

Hiruzen returned the pipe to his lips in an effort to hide the irritated smile that threatened to stretch across his face. He didn't bother to retain the pointed look he shot to Danzo.

Danzo ignored him and continued, "I hear you've removed Uchiha Shisui from his regular duties, and have given him permission to move at his own discretion and judgement? And that, in name at least, we have another Uchiha in Anbu." Hiruzen could hear the negative opinion in Danzo's words.

"Shisui wanted me to give him the freedom to act. I simply opened that road to him."

"So now the Hokage is listening to the mere whims of his ninja."

"I simply took into consideration the feelings of someone worried about the Uchiha clan."

"If you gave the same consideration to every single person, the village would fall apart," Danzo argued.

The irritation had reached its breaking point, "I know. I don't need you telling me that!" He shouted. How could Danzo compare the current situation with the Uchiha to the petty matters within the village? The Uchiha were their greatest asset on the battlefield. A double-edged blade that quietly threatened civil war.

"How about you stop beating around the bush, and tell me already? What exactly have you come for today, Danzo?" Hiruzen took great annoyance in the microscopic smirk Danzo held.

"Just as you have one of the Uchiha clan under your control, I should like one arranged for me."

Hiruzen couldn't help the disgust from filling him at Danzo's words. Danzo treated the Uchiha as nothing more than shiny toys. Like a child, he wanted what Hiruzen had.

Control, he had said.

Hiruzen didn't have control over his Shinobi. They weren't his puppets or his servants. They were soldiers. At the end of the day, they were the ones that chose who and what to give their lives for. The only control Hiruzen had over them, was their faith as their leader.

"You're saying to give Itachi to the Foundation?" Hiruzen asked. That would never happen.

"The thought never even crossed my mind."

"Didn't I tell you to stop playing dumb?"

"I am not playing dumb." Danzo asserted.

Hiruzen didn't believe him any but took his lies in stride. "What are you thinking, then?"

Danzo leaned back into the chair, "Why not promote Itachi to Team Leader?" He suggested.

"He's still only eleven." Hiruzen reasoned. Itachi, while skilled enough, lacked in the experience that came with age.

"And Anbu team leaders are to be thirteen or older," Danzo said with a thin smile, "You do have that rule there somewhere, hm?"

Hiruzen was losing this debate. "The Anbu are a division directly supporting the central pillars of the village. The team leaders who rule over them must have sufficient judgment. Thus, the requirement that they be at least thirteen." Hiruzen stated the facts in hopes that they might deter his old friend a little.

Danzo had little regard for rules, he scoffed. "Sufficient judgment. Itachi already has that."

"That's not the issue."

"Age and the like are meaningless before actual ability."

While Hiruzen agreed to some extent, that didn't mean it was right to push a child into a role that may hinder his future growth as a person. Danzo only saw puppets and Ninja. His eyes were closed to people.

"Are the rules that important, Hiruzen? The dissatisfaction of the Uchiha clan is already a nearly untenable situation. In order to break the status quo, we need someone in a position to make effective use of the will of the Foundation and someone connected with you." Danzo was baiting him with access to the Foundation through Itachi.

"You're saying put him between you and I, without having him belong to the Foundation?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying." Danzo confirmed, "No one in the Uchiha can match the abilities of Itachi and Shisui. If we can win those two over, it likely won't be difficult to prevent the explosion of their clan. Just as you gave Shisui special privileges, it is necessary to give a certain amount of the same to Itachi."

"But eleven is simply too young to lead a team."

"Unless you have someone in Anbu that could make more use of the Foundation than Itachi?"

That question was a trap. There was no right way to answer it without giving Danzo the answer he wanted. Hiruzen did in fact have someone with a better mindset fit for the Foundation. Kyoko would thrive, he had no doubt, but not in the way Hiruzen had planned. Her Will of Fire, that he had spent years cultivating, would be snuffed out within a week.

Danzo had finally torn his eyes from the dazzling light of the Uchiha just enough to hint at the little Nara's position.

If he was being honest, Hiruzen was surprised that they'd managed to deceive someone like Danzo for so long. But now, it seemed like it was time to set his plans into motion.

Hiruzen stayed quiet, refusing to answer as he slowly dragged smoke from the pipe until his old friend lost his patience with him.

"Then, what if Itachi were twelve?" Danzo offered as a final push. And this was something Hiruzen could work with. "Itachi's publicly disclosed age goes up a year, and that neatly takes care of the rule, don't you think?"

When it came to loopholes and scheming, Danzo was a creative genius. But Hiruzen couldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that. Not today.

"Let me think about it a little more," Hiruzen said.

He'd let Danzo stew in his impatience and toy with him a little while Hiruzen put his steps into play. Danzo would get what he wanted when Hiruzen needed the man distracted. Getting to play around with Itachi should be entertaining enough for the man to keep him in good spirits. Hiruzen would need his friend sufficiently distracted and complacently agreeing very soon, while he planted the seeds for the future of the Leaf.

"Understood." Came Danzo's reply as he stood and made his way out of the room.

"Spider," Hiruzen called after a single minute or rearranging his thoughts. The Anbu girl landed gracefully in a knelt position.

"Starting from next week, you will be reassigned."

"I'm being moved from Team Ro?" She asked.

Hiruzen nodded, "You'll be serving me directly as both Anbu guard and my aid."

The girl did not move, "Sir?" She questioned.

With a wave of his hand, the spider was gone without her answer.

**_****〆****(T****ー****T)****ꋧ****\ "One person is all everyone needs." - Jiraiya**

"Shisui? Is something wrong?" Kyoko asked from across the tree. Itachi sat quietly, his eyes watching his two friends.

"Can't ever get anything past you, can I? Kyoko?" Shisui said with a small smile.

Itachi let his eyes scan over Shisui. His friend had seemed fine all day, a bit quiet but otherwise normal. But Kyoko's sensor abilities were so in tune to their chakra that she could tell when something was amiss.

Usually, Kyoko left people to their privacy, not being one to pry into another's personal affairs. So, if Kyoko had mentioned it, the disruption in their friend must have been immense.

"Shisui," Itachi said encouragingly. Prompting their older friend to confide in them.

Shisui heaved a great sigh, slumping against the strong wood of the tree. "Last week, my father passed away."

Itachi blinked in surprise and, above him in a higher branch, Kyoko stiffened and her skin turned ashen at the news.

"I mean, I was expecting it. He was fading little by little over the last few years. But now…" Shisui trailed off, "I don't even feel saddened. It's like he had already died years ago. Doesn't exactly sit well, not feeling much after my father had just died. What type of person does that make me?"

Itachi didn't know what to say.

"Mother won't be far behind either. She's not eaten since father passed."

"Shisui…"

"It's okay." Shisui straightened from his position, "I have a few things I need to do. I'll see you guys later."

And like the wind, Shisui was gone.

Itachi turned to his other friend. Recently, he hadn't been able to talk to her properly. Something just didn't sit right anymore. A nervousness he didn't know would settle in his gut and an awkward anxiety would get in the way of his words. He missed being able to talk to her. To be able to say anything at all and have her just listen.

But now… Things between them were odd. Despite this, the two of them were master actors, pretending nothing was bothering them at all when they were around others. But when they were alone…

"I have to go, too. Lord Hokage is reassigning me in a few days. I need to prepare."

"You're being moved from the Team?"

"Apparently."

Kyoko left with a slight wave and a flawless body flicker that Shisui would be proud of.

Itachi sighed and looked up to the sky, the sun was high overhead. Itachi's thoughts trailed back to the park where he had met a small blonde boy. Sometimes, his thoughts would wander to the host of the Nine-tailed Fox.

Maybe he could take Sasuke to the park today? It would be good if Sasuke made a friend outside the Uchiha clan and himself.

With a new objective in mind, Itachi headed home, grabbed an excited Sasuke and spent the next few hours training his energetic and diligent little brother. Doing his best to set aside his worries for the both of his friends.

Afterwards, Itachi bought them a cold can of juice to chase off the heat of the day and their exercise. Itachi sat with Sasuke, asking about the younger boy's classes and listening to Sasuke's complaints of the lessons and classmates alike.

It left Itachi pondering on how alike he and his little brother were.

Itachi used to rant not unlike this to a grinning Shisui back when Itachi himself was but a child still in the academy. The warm evening passed peacefully as Itachi found his worries fading to the back of his mind, his laughter bursting from him at the shrivelled up face Sasuke made when Uzumaki Naruto's name was mentioned.

When they arrived back home, reality was fast to sink in again.

"Take a bath then come and speak with me." His father ordered when the two brothers entered the home. They hadn't even taken their shoes off yet.

Itachi did as told with as little thought as possible, his mind only focusing on the goal of his mundane tasks. Once he finished washing away the sweat and grime of the day from his skin, Itachi wandered down the hall and pulled open the sliding door of his parent's room open.

His father sat waiting for him.

"Did you need something, Father?" Itachi asked from beyond the room. His father turned at his cold tone. Itachi didn't bother even trying to warmly greet his father anymore.

"Come in." His father encouraged. Itachi took small steps into the room, closed the door behind him and sat on his knees.

"I heard you went to the park with Sasuke." His father started.

"I did," Itachi replied shortly, he didn't come here to make idle conversation. That usually only led to a disagreement on either side between them. "I have to prepare for a mission tomorrow. I'd appreciate it if you could be brief about your business."

"Don't speak so stiffly." His father gave him a small, strained smile.

Itachi couldn't remember the last time his father had smiled; it just wasn't in his personality. It was the small hints od melancholy in that smile that caused Itachi to loosen just a bit.

"How is your work with the Anbu?"

"As long as I am putting into practice the things I've learned since graduating from the academy, there is no 'how'." Itachi gave his father what he would call a textbook answer that lacked any information or depth.

"Yashiro and Inabi aren't here." His father remarked in a surprisingly gentle tone, "I'm your father, and you are my son. Those are the only people in this room."

Itachi couldn't remember the last time he had spoken to the man in front of him as simply his father. As nothing more than a son. His heart eased from its guard just a little and a small amount of tension left his body. "Things haven't changed, really, from when I wasn't in Anbu." Itachi offered.

"You're not doing any difficult work?" His father's tone was held a small trace of concern.

Itachi immediately felt guilty. His mind travelled to a room in the Anbu headquarters where the surveillance of the entire Uchiha clan was closely monitored. The days where he was expected to monitor his clan were some of the most morally testing missions he had ever been assigned. For that reason, they were difficult.

"There is some of that," Itachi replied honestly, his gaze averting to the side as his father watched him with gentle eyes. Itachi steeled himself once again, turning back to his father, "Given that I'm in Anbu, no weakness can be tolerated."

"That's my boy." His father said.

Itachi remained silent to the praise.

"Don't worry about things at the meeting." His father offered.

"What?" Itachi said dumbly, his surprise had overtaken his mind for a moment. Those words were not something Itachi had been expecting from his father. If anything, Itachi had been expecting some form of rebuke on his latest outburst at the clan meeting.

"It's not as though everyone in the clan thinks the same way. I have no intentions of forcing our thinking on you. Rather than a stone drifting along with the strong current, I want you to be a man, like a rock that stands against the current, and pierces it."

His father's words meant more to Itachi than he had ever expected. They were the words Itachi had desperately been wanting to hear from his father, from anyone, all these years. To know that he wasn't betraying the expectations of his father but instead fulfilling them was a great unknown depression lifted from his slowly freezing heart.

"Father…" Itachi wanted to convey this feeling to the older man but the words wouldn't come.

"You do not need to yield in your own thinking. If you cannot accept what Yashiro and the others say, then stand up, and proudly assert your ideas."

Itachi's thoughts travelled to the previous meeting where Itachi had stood up, he had asserted his ideas and had escalated into a full-on argument between himself and Yashiro. Only his fathers shouted voice had quelled both sides of the argument.

"But it doesn't seem like they would tolerate that at the meeting." Itachi voiced a nagging part of his thoughts and his father nodded in agreement.

"It is indeed as you say." A sigh escaped from the older man. "The young people are moved by passion, and they lose sight of themselves. And they expel those who don't agree with them, charging forward toward what they believe to be lofty."

"Father," Itachi said, cutting himself off from the rest of his question.

"What? Say it." His father urged.

"Alright." Itachi resolved himself. Right now, this was a conversation between a father and son. His questions were safe here, in this room. "Do you have a different opinion than they do, Father?"

"I do not," Fugaku affirmed. "My feelings are the same as theirs. I am simply not so young as to cast out different ideas."

Itachi could not hide his disappointment. "Is that so…"

"I do not wish to hinder or cripple you, Itachi. In fact, my proposal of an arranged marriage is to settle people like Inabi and the others who are worried upon your entry into Anbu. They do not want you to sunder from the clan."

Itachi could see why his father would come to that conclusion. But… It was frustrating.

"Nn." Was Itachi's sound of acknowledgment.

"You should stay true to your thinking." His father encouraged, catching Itachi's hope and attention once again. "Fight, be confused, be lost, and come through to find your answer. And once you find it, make your decision, and do not waver from it. Find your answer, and be ready to follow through. That is determination."

His father's wisdom echoed a comforting song in his mind. "Determination…"

"Yes. There are few people in this world who live their lives with their own determination. They leave their decisions to others and avert their eyes from responsibility. You must not live like that, at least. Move forward in life, making your own decision." These were the words of Uchiha Fugaku's hopes for Itachi. Of a father's hopes for his son.

They were both on different roads in life. Likely on opposite sides of the coin.

"I understand." But this was his father. "I will never leave the decisions in my own life to someone else." It was the least Itachi could do to honour his father's hopes. Possibly the only wish that Itachi could fulfil. Itachi's resolve had been cemented in this.

"That's my boy." Pride glowed through the sentence and Itachi took a childish moment to bask in the praise for the first time in his life.


	11. Chapter 11

**This chapter was very hard to write.**

**It was very hard to edit.**

**I am sorry.**

**\- Bows –**

**Please help me find the will to push out the next chapter, I am feeling demoralized after this.**

**That was your warning, btw.**

**Please try to enjoy it.**

∪●ᴥ●∪ _"Wanna touch my paw?" - Pakkun_

"Kou!" A childish voice yelled for him. "Kou! Where are you?!"

Kou stretched up from sprawled out slumber on the grass that grew comfortably along the fence line.

With a wide jawed yawn and tensing of his neck, Kou pushed himself onto all four legs and plodded along the worn dirt path. His name was called again. And again. Kou rolled his eyes with a doggish grin stretching his canine mouth.

He kicked up his pace into a leisurely trot. And with a nudge of his snout, the small gate of the home opened up for him. Kou slipped under the engawa of the home and crawled through to the other side of the house.

"Kou!"

He barked twice from under the home and waited. A small head peeked under the wooden boards and short tuffs of dark fell toward the ground.

"Ah!" Konohamaru grinned widely.

With three more yaps, Kou launched himself out from beneath the home and fan to the other side of the small yard. Spirited giggles sounded from behind as Konohamaru took off after him in their sudden game of tag. Kou slipped, dipped and danced around the young boy. Eventually, Konohamaru tumbled to the ground in a clumsy shift of his little feet. Kou twisted, catching the boy against his soft body and fell to the ground, coaxing a round of pure laughter.

"All right boys, lunchtime!"

"Moms home!" Konohamaru scrambled to his feet and ran over, Kou stayed hot on the boy's heels.

He jumped into the home and trotted through the tatami floored room.

"Kou!" He jumped at the scolding tone in the voice. "How many times do I need to tell you not to come inside when you're all grubby."

Konohamaru laughed from behind his mother, "Kou's in trouble!" The boy sang.

Kou grinned at the way the frowning woman turned to the boy. "Konohamaru, don't even get me started." Konohamaru shrunk back, tucking his dirt caked hands inside his pockets and wiping his snotty nose on his shoulder.

"Ah! Don't do that! Both of you, baths. Now!"

Kou didn't need to be ordered a second time. He bolted for the washroom with the boy not far behind him. Bath time was always the best with Konohamaru. If mom wanted them clean, then she'd have to sacrifice the bathroom in the process.

Clearly, Konohamaru agreed as the boy quickly shed his cloths and tripped beautifully into the bathtub. Waves of water spilled onto the tiled floor and over his feet. With a fox-like leap, the bath lost a quarter of its water and Konohamaru burst into a fit of wild, mischievous laughter. In his hand, the boy the bottle of shampoo.

Oh hell no.

Kou launched for the bottle. Slipped in the bath with another great splash.

Konohamaru squealed in surprise and the tub was polluted with a fair amount of soap.

With their sporadic movements, it was soon a half-full bubble bath.

∪●ᴥ●∪ _"Wanna touch my paw?" - Pakkun_

It took about two weeks of crossing the many terrains of the land of fire. Through golden fields of rice, overshadowed mountains and across lake and rivers alike. Passing towns and little villages each and every day. With a grand total of just over two weeks journey by caravan, Kyoko found herself staring at the massive road polluted with travellers of every kind.

The caravan passed through the giant gates, even bigger than the ones back in the village. The well travelled road led them through markets and shops alike. Silks and jades, delicately crafted blades and jars of fine sake half as big as a grown man. Kimono and coats with the most intricate embroidery gently swayed in the warm breeze that passed through, carrying the scents of the master cooks that offered food to the weary traveller.

The walk carried on through the Capital city, through the beautifully structured entrance that allowed the shrinking caravan through into the Daimyo's residence. Kyoko thought it looked more like a palace, the estate was fit for a lord of the Land of fire.

The ten tenshu tall castle that looked vastly over the capital city was nothing short of awesome. Kyoko was glad for the Anbu mask that covered her face and her dropped jaw. All around, smaller towers stood shorter than the castle but were no less overwhelming. Most of the buildings were made of a beautiful stone white with lightly coloured bronze tiles. Some of the taller buildings spotted eye-catching paints of red, blue, green and purple.

The political capital of the Land of Fire was clearly very wealthy. Situated near four main trade routes had allowed the Lord's fortress grow more and more over its developing years. Kyoko wondered, would a city like this still exist in the next generation? It was too much of a target.

On the small red-painted bridge she crossed over as the caravan fell away, they were led through the city like the envoys they were. Kyoko took notice of a single, small detail. It was completely unrelated to anything. No relevance at all. A Shinobi was meant to notice things but never dwell on peculiarities until the situation called for it. But every step she took on the bridge, her eyes followed a simple carving as her mind whirled to understand something that was likely entirely unnecessary. This bridge didn't have a single nail. No rope, no nails, nothing. It was all just wood. Kyoko felt the urge to climb over the railing and walk on the underside just to have a more perceptive look. Maybe there was something underneath holding it up? She hadn't seen anything when approaching the bridge.

"This way." The guide said as Kyoko's pace had slowed some. She set aside her childish wanderings and continued after the group of five.

The closer they got to the ten-story tower, the more she began to assess the guards.

The Daimyo's guards stood unwavering from their stations even as Kyoko blatantly analyzed them. They donned clean, thick coats with plated grey armour that looked like an exoskeleton in the way it shifted at the joints and a strange mask that covered their entire head. Lacquered scabbard held their blades and Kyoko could only ponder the price of a single sheath alone. These guards carried two. She also wondered to the quality of their blades and the depths of the Lord's pocket.

Servants of all statuses rushed around the main compound. Kyoko's eyes fluttered about, taking in the excitement and bustle of the life these people lived. With each step memorized, Kyoko began mapping her path in an unconscious effort that any Shinobi worth his salt would be able to do.

"This will be your quarters during your stay here in the capital as the Lord Daimyo's guests. A maid will be stationed to the room and guards outside for your safety." The guide said after they had stopped just outside a large door in the high ceiling hallway. Kyoko only listened to them with half an ear. "Please do not leave this wing without an escort." They added and waited beside the door to their temporary room.

"Well then." Her captain walked into the room without any further instruction needed. He tipped back the porcine mask and glanced around the room that had been given to the small group. "Let's rest for a bit, they'll summon us when the Lord Daimyo is ready to meet."

Kyoko took her Captain's suggestion with rapid obedience. Rest? She was already passing out on the nearest piece of furniture. In all of the two weeks spent travelling, Kyoko had slept a grand total of four hours every three or four days. Her body was beyond exhausted, running on chakra pills for the energy boost and she could feel her patience get thinner and thinner as time passed on.

When she awoke, the room was quiet. Kyoko glanced around. Kakashi-Senpai had a book lazily balanced in the three fingers of a single hand, the turning of a single page was the only sound her captain allowed himself.

Sitting on the large windowsill of their room with the frame and glass pulled up was the Jounin Sarutobi Asuma. Asuma was the younger brother to her Genin teacher, Sarutobi Ruma, and the youngest son of the Lord Third Hokage. The Jounin drew the thin white cigarette from his mouth, flicked the ash out into the city and slowly allowed the smoke from his lungs to flow along with the light breeze.

"You're awake." Came the voice to her left. Kyoko turned to the man who was responsible for the negotiation of relations between the Leaf and the Fire Daimyo. A Chunin that wasn't particularly skilled in any form of the combative arts, for that reason Kyoko had mostly ignored him beyond her mission to protect him.

Their mission had been a joint mission. The caravan had originally requested a B-ranked protection but upon Lord Hokage's offer, they switched to an A-ranked guard mission so long as they didn't mind an extra passenger to accompany them. It was a clever tactic to ensure the protection of the Konoha ambassador.

A simple Chunin, with minimal skill, was currently worth more than her life. Simply because he had dedicated an unparalleled amount of skill and talent to his craft. A blade was not this mans sharpened weapon. His words were far more impactful than simple steel. For that reason, she was to be the blade in the man's stead, to protect what he couldn't.

"Uh…" She didn't know his name.

Oops.

"Ambassador Ginshu, when do you estimate Lord Daimyo will be sending his summons to fetch us?" Her Captain said. Kakashi-senpai to the rescue.

Ginshu eased away from his nearby position on the couch beside her. "Perhaps a couple more hours? Two days at most."

Kyoko frowned. A couple of hours to two days. There was a big gap of time in his estimations.

Kakashi-senpai hummed in response before turning back to his book. He paused, "Oh yeah. You can take your mask off, Kyoko. There'll be no need for it on this mission."

Ah, she slept with it on. Kyoko didn't even notice, she was getting far too used to wearing the mask. She pulled the white and purple spider mask away from her face and turned to her Captain.

"Any particular reason why I had to remove my mask?" She asked.

Kakashi made no move to reply.

"These missions are more of a display than actual negotiation, although there is some of that too." Sarutobi Asuma replied in his smoke toned voice. Kyoko turned to him with a brow raised in a silent question. Asuma shrugged, "You'll get it soon enough."

It was, much to Kyoko's annoyance, three and a half days until a servant of the Daimyo came for them.

They were lead through the inner paths of the central compound, passing Koi ponds, beautiful statues and stone gardens alike before they were to cross over a long bridge connecting a building that was built in the middle of a man crafted pond. They were guided inside, past the Samurai guards that were stationed at what Kyoko thought to be every corner and post.

The building so was dark in its wooden blinds that it kept the heat of the midday sun from the room. What little light illuminating the room only ensured to give off varying grey tones. All in all, the room was extensively bleak.

Kyoko stayed standing at the back of the chair where ambassador Ginshu took a seat. Captain Kakashi and Sarutobi Asuma stood on her right respectively, eyes cast directly ahead not really looking at anyone or anything. The risks of actually being attacked in the centre of the Daimyo's main conference room, in the lord's estate, in a non-shinobi city, were ridiculously minimal. Neither of her companion Ninja was truly tense on guard, only ever keeping a basic attentiveness of their surroundings, prepared but unexpecting.

To Kyoko's insatiable curiosity, a man entered the conference room wearing a dark green kimono with a pale white sash wrapped around his waist. Tucked securely inside the sash were two sheathed blades, one noticeably shorter than the other. The man was followed by two armoured Samurai guards who stood much like Kyoko behind the man as he took his seat.

Soon the long table was filled with middle-aged men wearing weird hats as tall as her arm was long and multiple layers of cloth were visible under the dark grey Kimono that seemed to be their uniform. Kyoko cringed, it must be unbearably heavy and hot and impossibly restricting within all of those layers.

Once all of the councilmen were sat, the room waited quietly for the Lord of Fire himself. In long languid strides from beneath the arched hallway he strolled, wearing just as many layers, if not more. The fanning headpiece stood large upon his head, long white silver displayed three bright red fire crests. Kyoko made it a point to follow her Senpai, her eyes fixed directly ahead. Asuma's idle advice – weather he gave it out of boredom, kindness or for the good of the village, she'd never know – it replayed in her head. Do not move. Do not speak unless directly addressed. Keep replies short, unless the Daimyo askes specifically for detail. Take heed not to offend the Daimyo. The list went on and on.

Kakashi-Senpai had helpfully added to the long list at the end, 'Standard Anbu Respective Protocol' and Kyoko almost thanked her Captain. She had every protocol memorized, that she could cast aside most of the Saurtobi's warnings in favour for something she was explicitly trained in was comforting. She did keep some of them in mind, it would be foolish to cast aside plausible advice.

The meeting began monotonously. It stretched on in a bland update of the village's affairs and the expert diverting of sordid rumours that a Shinobi village unquestionably raised from the mouths of the common people of the Land of Fire.

Almost an entire half-hour later, the conversation shifted away from the vaguely interesting debate on the salt trade that the Leaf had secured for the land. Her face was schooled impressively blank at the words of the men, she tried to cast aside the memory of a particular moral shattering mission. Of blades and wire, betrayal and bargaining for anonymity, secrets of the worse kind locked in her soul with a slow staining filth of guilt and pure corruption under the pretence of being what was right in that moment but in the end was nothing more than a topic of discussion for these foolish old-

"And who is your entourage this time? The Lord Hokage does send the most interesting of Shinobi this way. I must say, the solid looking man seems incredibly familiar, have you visited before?" The Daimyo asked.

Ginshu smiled politely and gestured to Asuma on his furthest right. "This is Sarutobi Asuma, second son of the Lord Hokage."

"Oh my! Is that really you Sarutobi? I've not seen hide or hair of any of my old Twelve Ninja Guardian since it was disbanded after that horrible incident." The fan held by the Daimyo moved far too slowly to actually produce any sort of wind flow.

Asuma bowed lowly, "It is good to see you again, Lord Daimyo."

The Daimyo chuckled from behind the fan, "You have changed somehow since the last time I have seen you."

Asuma rubbed at his chin lightly, "Ah, I haven't shaved for a while, I'm thinking of growing it out a bit. What do you think, Lord Daimyo?"

The Daimyo hummed in thought then his eyes crinkled in a hidden smile, "Yes, it suits you. It makes you look far more professional, or perhaps more mature would be a better word for it."

"I see," Asuma said with a thoughtful look on his face. Whether it was genuine or a simple act, Kyoko didn't know.

"Who else do we have here?" The Daimyo's eyes shifted to Kakashi and then to herself with interest.

"This is our lead Anbu, Hatake Kakashi." Ginshu introduced.

"Ah, yes. I've heard many tales of the White fang's son. Many, indeed."

Her captain simply bowed.

"And the girl?"

"Nara Kyoko is one of our most promising young Ninja. She has newly been reassigned in taking the vacant position of the Hokage's aid. Her being here is mostly educational." Ginshu quipped almost proudly in her stead. Being reassigned from her squad was not something Kyoko considered an achievement, if anything it was an insult. A demotion. But it was entirely beyond her decisions and opinions.

"Nara Kyoko was it?" The Daimyo asked her directly, she swallowed the annoyance and schooled herself in less than a second.

"Yes, Lord Daimyo."

"Say… Hold are you currently?"

"I am eleven, Lord Daimyo."

The fan was snapped closed and his eyebrows shot up into his headdress. "And you are the Hokage's aid? That's quite… enlightening."

Kyoko had no idea what was so enlightening about her age or position.

"Kyoko is a highly capable and truly skilled ninja. She is the youngest graduate from our academy ever and the youngest Anbu in the history of the Land of Fire." Kakashi said. His praise almost had her taken aback from the sheer force he put into the statement.

The Daimyo leaned forward in what Kyoko assumed to be something akin to intrigue, "Is that so?" The fan snapped open again.

∪●ᴥ●∪ _"Wanna touch my paw?" - Pakkun_

In the dead of the night, Shisui stared up into the clouded sky. The moon ducked in and out from behind the thick grey. In a small moment where the moon disappeared once again, Shisui moved.

He slipped along the edge of a family building, up into a side along the tree and with a quick glance around Shisui flickered along the blind angle of the camera's he knew were there.

Itachi had told him.

At first, Shisui had been mildly disgusted but as time went on and the situation began to escalate slowly, Shisui had begun to feel relieved that the cameras were set up through the compound. If the other Uchiha knew that morning, day and night they were being monitored by the Anbu… Well, Shisui would probably be standing in the middle of the rubble that the Coup de ta would ultimately leave behind.

As Shisui arrived at the cliff, the clouds hanging in the dark sky steadily moved on. The moon glittered in its final quarter surrounded by the subtle glimmer of the stars. It was a nice night.

Shisui dragged his gaze from the heavens above to the raging river below. White foamy waves rushed and mixed with swirling currents in a forward surge that looked like a mad dash downstream. Somehow, the sight installed a small amount of nothingness, a lacuna that before was filled by some form of anxiety or nervousness. The hypnotic chaos of the Naka river quelled his negative emotions and reminded him of the reality of the world. Of the here and now where he could actually act.

A shift in the air was the only signal of Itachi's appearance. A slight breeze caused by his movements. "Sorry to make you wait," Itachi said.

"I just got here too." Shisui turned around to greet his friend.

Itachi scanned him over, "You look really tired."

Either Kyoko's blunt nature had influenced Itachi or Shisui looked so bad that Itachi, the quiet one of them all, felt the need to openly state the facts.

The inky eyes of his friend glittered in worry, the moons delicate light reflected the emotion deep in his black pools. Shisui suddenly found the ground more numbing to look at as he searched for an excuse, not like Itachi would be fooled by something like that. "Things have been happening." Was the reply Shisui settled with.

"I know I said we'd work together," Itachi's tone was unbearably gentle and sympathetic. "Sorry for always leaving things to you."

"You can't do anything that would cause you to neglect your missions," Shisui said quickly, catching the younger boys gaze once more. "We're both in Anbu, but I've got permission from the Hokage to move freely. It's only natural I'd be working. There's nothing for you to feel bad about." He reassured. Shisui was busy dealing with their clan members and Itachi was acting as the sole linking bridge between the Uchiha and the central matters to the village. If they wanted any shot in hell at merging the Uchiha with Konoha, then Itachi needed to be there as the prime example. As reassurance. As a guide for the younger members of their clan. Shisui thought of Sasuke for a brief moment and steeled himself.

"Before I get into it, there's something I want to tell you." Shisui said, a weight forming in his chest that needed to be cut off. Black eyes met black in a sharp gaze. "The clan suspects you."

"You don't have to tell me that." The almost audible eye-roll in his tone brought a twitch to Shisui's lips. It faded the next moment.

"A ninja of the clan's been ordered to monitor you." Gods, there was no easy way to say it, was there?

Itachi reacted as Shisui would have expected. Alarm in his eyes and worry paired with a decent amount of shock and nervousness.

"What?" Itachi asked in shock. Shisui stayed silent and watched as the boy connected the dots for himself in an impossibly quick amount of time. Shisui could see the moment of realization in the frown that settled into his brow. "I can't believe that he would-"

"It's true, Itachi. I witnessed it myself, there's no doubt about it." Shisui said.

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked, quick to dissect the nuance in his words.

Shisui held back a sigh, "I mean, the one given the task of watching you is me." He admitted. He fought off the memory of Itachi's own father ordering him to watch his best friend. To make sure the boy didn't sabotage the Coup. Well, they sure as hell picked the wrong person, didn't they? Not like any of them could actually keep up with Itachi in a fight anyway. They knew Shisui was the only Uchiha that could keep up with the clan heir.

"They're using the fact that I'm close to you. Three senior officials from the Military Police Force came to order me to monitor you." Shisui didn't have the heart to tell the boy that his own father had been there too, even though Itachi most likely already figured that part out.

"Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka. They suspect you. And you and Yashiro did have some fierce words at the meeting." Shisui said. "I probably don't need to say this but I'll make some stuff up and report back to them."

The tension slowly left Itachi's shoulders just a little.

"But there's no doubt that the radicals in the clan have their eyes on you." Shisui warned.

"I was ready for that." Itachi acknowledged.

"That firmness for yours is both a good thing and a weak point for you, you know?" Shisui smiled, "I like it." With the weight gone from his chest, Shisui looked up to the moon. The clouds had rolled halfway across the sky and opened up the midnight.

"You have this strength," Shisui continued wistfully. "Like no matter what happens to you, your way of thinking will never be shaken. If it's to do with what you believe in, you'll stand and face whatever enormous force might rise up before you without flinching. Which is exactly why I trust you. And… Why I can tell you what I've decided."

"What happened, Shisui?"

"You know what tomorrow is, right?"

Itachi nodded. Tomorrow was the regular meeting of the clan.

The only difference was that this meeting would be on deciding the schedule of the Coup. In other words, they were out of time. "If everything goes as usual at the meeting tomorrow, we won't be able to stop things."

"What are you planning to do?"

"Tomorrow, I am going to attack your father on his way to Nakano Shrine."

Silence.

"Relax, I'm not going to kill Lord Fugaku or anything. I'm going to trap him in a Genjutsu." Shisui reassured.

"The Sharingan you used that time with Mukai?" Itachi asked.

"Exactly." The chakra moved through his eyes as easily as breathing. "With the Mangekyo Sharingan, even the fearsome 'Wicked Eye' Lord Fugaku won't be able to avoid these eyes."

"But I mean, trapping him in a Genjutsu, what are you actually going to do?" Itachi's voice still retained a small amount of worry for the wellbeing of his father.

"When I awakened these eyes, I also awakened a certain Jutsu buried within my blood and chakra. It's hard to explain. That Jutsu is called Kotoamatsukami."

Itachi echoed the name in a small whisper.

"It puts the person trapped in the Genjutsu into a state of total unawareness; then, you can make them do what you want." Shisui described. Fairy coating that this particular Jutsu was essentially brainwashing. "The advantage of this technique is that the effect and duration are both amplified because of the power of the Mangekyo Sharingan."

Itachi silently urged his continued explanation.

"For the visual Jutsu of the normal Sharingan, your gaze has to intersect with the gaze of your intended target to some degree. You need that direct action, and the flow of chakra. But the Mangekyo allows me to sidestep all that a bit. I just have to look at my target's eyes, and pour my chakra in, even if our gazes aren't intersecting. The amount of chakra is several times bigger than what's needed for a normal Sharingan technique, so the target falls into the visual Jutsu instantly. They have no idea anything's ever happened."

"So you mean, by the time the enemy sees you, they're already in the Jutsu?"

"That's exactly it."

"And you're going to use that on my father?"

With a forceful nod, Shisui steeled himself once again. "If I can get him into Kotoamatsukami, I can make Lord Fugaku tell everyone that the coup is off. I can make him believe for himself from the bottom of his heart that it was his own ideas and beliefs."

"You can write over the mind of the ringleader?" The way Itachi referred to his own father as simply a 'ringleader' was both comforting and unsettling.

"It's only the fact that it's _your father_ that makes me hesitate." Shisui admitted.

"You don't have to worry about that." The younger boy responded immediately.

Then, that was that.

He had no excuses and all the reasons.

"Don't come to the meeting tomorrow, Itachi." Shisui asked out of worry.

"Why not?" The question was pure. He simply wanted to know the facts. Shisui was thankful of his friend's unending trust.

"The radical faction suspects you. If I make Lord Fugaku's attitude change abruptly, you're the first one they'll point their fingers at. I don't know what they'll do if you're at the meeting."

"You're saying that they'd attack me?" The contempt in Itachi's voice almost threw Shisui off guard. "If they attack me, I'll just fight them off." He said simply.

"Yashiro and the rest don't have a chance against you. But that skirmish would inevitably interrupt the important meeting."

"So you're going to take control of my father and force everyone to go the other direction, huh?"

"Yeah," Shisui gripped at Itachi's shoulder. "If I pull this off, the clan's enthusiasm for the coup will drop. We knock down Lord Fugaku, create an opening and gradually win the Uchiha over to the side of anti-war." Even as he said, the theory sounded far easier than actually winning over the stubborn members of their clan.

"Isn't there anything I can do?" Itachi asked

"Wait here until the meeting's over." Shisui insisted.

"But-"

"It'll definitely work." It had to. They were running out of options more and more as time went by. Soon they'd be minimalizing the damage instead of preventing it. They needed to act now while there was still a chance. "I'll come here to report the results of the meeting. Just wait 'till then. The next time we meet, the clan will have taken a step towards peace. We'll need your strength after that. I know you'll be critical, given how far beyond the clan you've gone. So you totally can't die before then, no matter what happens. Leave everything to me tomorrow." Itachi looked truly conflicted at letting Shisui act alone, it showed in his eyes as every other emotion had always been available to him.

"Please," Shisui asked.

"Sorry I can't help at such an important time as this." Itachi's head lowered to the ground and a faint shadow from the delicate moonlight above.

"Itachi." Shisui said, gaining the boy's attention. "Our fight starts tomorrow."

The ink of his eyes solidified, "I've been ready for a long time."

∪●ᴥ●∪ _"Wanna touch my paw?" - Pakkun_

"My Lord." One of the councilmen interrupted the Daimyo in whatever the hell this interrogation was. The Daimyo turned to the man with a great fat 'What?' spread entirely across his face in childish impatience. The councilman seemed bold or just purely unobservant of his Lord. "May I use this time to address the issue of the Taika Provence?"

The Daimyo sighed and Ginshu straightened. "Is this about the matter with the Land of Tea?"

"Indeed. But the matter has been settled for a few months now."

"My lord." Insisted the councilman.

"However," The Daimyo continued with a pointed look to the vocal councilman, "It has left the Land of Fire with a need of rearrangement."

"Lord Daimyo?" Ginshu questioned.

"If perhaps you could elaborate further? Any changes to the Lands territories is imperative knowledge to the Land of Iron. As per the Agreement every nation has with the Samurai."

Kyoko internally reeled in her shock. Then her awe. Then her childish giddy wonder. Holey crap, a Samurai! These guys were Samurai!

"Of course, which is the reason why I have asked that you join us today, Lord Mifune." The Daimyo acknowledged. With a clearing of his throat, he began.

"Roughly two years ago, the land of Tea was engaged in an internal debate over its successors. The eldest two sons of the Lord of Tea were equally in position in terms of influence to take over the Land, however, both sons had vastly different ideas on how their land needed to be run."

Two lavishly dressed attendants entered the room. One held a large white jug that looked far more expensive than anything she thought she'd ever owned. The other carried a trey of matching white floral cups.

"This problem escalated into a political bloodbath when the Lord of Tea passed away a year ago, supposedly of natural causes. The land divided, as did it's government, which separated into factions supporting either side or either brother if you'd prefer."

Kyoko quietly took a white decorated cup of water that one of the attendants handed to her with a bowed head.

"Eventually, the eldest son was poisoned and the land was then taken by the second son. The youngest of the Lord of Tea's sons was then pushed to be the next leader of the eldest sons faction, the supporting nobles scrambled to regain their lost influence like starved pigs. The youngest son, however, had in his possession the will and testament of his father whom was, of course, the preceding Lord of Tea."

The Lord Daimyo quietly sipped at his own water. Kyoko didn't know the tolerances and limits of non-Shinobi but she assumed the sip was for a break in speech rather than actual thirst.

"The land was to be divided between his sons in hopes that their shared skills would bring the Land of Tea to a new height of its prosperity. The youngest had withheld this information until one of his elder brothers killed each other off. He then makes the will of his father known and the Land of Tea had been separated with the northernmost half inherited by the youngest son."

Gracefully, the cup was set on the meeting table and a coy smile displayed across his face.

"The youngest has then propositioned to me, a trade. He will gift me seventy per cent of his land in return for aid in developing the remaining of his inheritance into a new land of his own with continued support and protection from the Land of Fire as the new land acts as a proxy and ally of the Land of Fire."

"And this new land will be called?" Lord Mifune, the Samurai, asked.

"The Land of Vines."

"Vines?"

"Indeed. Most of the land cultivated there is used for the export and trade of vine crops. The Land of Tea had begun to introduce several simple crops like berries, watermelon, even tomatoes in an effort to expand their market. The youngest has obviously taken notice in this profitable trade pursuit and claimed it entirely for himself."

"I see, with the vast land between himself and his brother, the Land of Tea will not be able to attack out of spite as easily. Epically is this Land of Vines is under the protection of the Land of Fire." Lord Mifune sighed. "Very well, if a copy of the new boarders could be shared with the Land of Iron, our records will be adjusted for the case of future negotiations and summits."

Kyoko honestly had no idea just how much the Lord of Iron was interconnected with the five great nations. All she knew was that every Shinobi nation would not dare evoke their wrath. That and the Land of Iron was explicitly neutral grounds for all Shinobi, heck, even the Kage summit was held in the Land of Iron. The Kage themselves avoided provoking the unnecessary fury of the Samurai. So, no fighting against the Samurai would ever be engaged by the Shinobi nations. They were too busy fighting themselves anyway.

"So what had become of the territory that has been gifted to the Land of Fire? What types of shifting are needed exactly?" Lord Mifune asked.

"It will be merged with the South-Eastern Taika Provence. Several outposts will need to be established along with the integration of the lands people who chose to stay and its distribution of value in land already owned by the commoners. All farmers will be transferred under our tax and support regulations. Towns and businesses readjusted and approved of. Minor things really." The Lord Daimyo said wistfully. Then he sighed in self-pity.

"The true problem, however, is the noble ruling of the land. Among my noble families, I have taken great measures to ensure the balance of power. Now there is more land, and a shift needs to happen somewhere in order to keep this balance..."

"I see." Mifune said, offering no council. Kyoko assumed that the Land of Iron tried to keep a respectable distance from actual influence beyond the export of their Samurai to various Daimyos to the respective countries expense.

"My Lord, this is more than just the tides of influence. These are the lives of those who are newly under the Land of Fire's boarders." That talkative noble spoke once again.

"Yes, I am aware of that. But this is about the tides of influence, as you so delicately put it."

"My Lord has a duty to these people!" He pushed. Kyoko idly wondered, why was this councilman pushing his Lord so hard? It was slightly unbecoming of a man of his particular standing.

"You will silence yourself." The fan snapped in his hand. It was a clear warning.

"But!" The stupid man pushed _again_.

"Oh, very well then!" The Daimyo snapped, "I'll give it to the girl."

The entire room froze.

The councilmen froze. The Samurai stilled. Her captain twitched exactly once. Asuma blinked. And Kyoko froze.

"Excuse me, My lord, what do you mean by 'The Girl' exactly?" Spoke a different councilman.

"I mean, the girl currently present in this room. The rising Flame of the Leaf. The Hokage's aid. The Eleven-year-old that is standing here in this room, of all places in the Land of Fire. Are you deaf to implications or just stupid?"

"But she is not noble!" The vocal councilman spoke up in outrage once again.

The Daimyo turned to the man, "Not noble? My councilmen are meant to be informed, educated and dedicated to this Land. To not know a small bit of history? Ba!" He scoffed and turned away from the baffled gaze.

"The Nara own the Nara forest. One of the five sacred lands in the Land of Fire. They have owned the land from before the Land of Fire was even formed as a nation." Spoke a councilman, this one only now finding it appropriate to speak.

"Indeed. I'll have you know that Konoha possesses many noble or previously noble clans." The Daimyo spoke, his tone miffed. "Many of them retain the deeds to much of the Hokage Province or have traded their land for the lands surrounding the Hidden Leaf! The Uchiha themselves owned the deeds to the land the village is upon, they then shared it with the Senju once the village construction was underway and the treaty finalized and documented. It was a token of goodwill and an investment into the future. Which is exactly what I am doing right now."

"By giving an Eleven-year-old an entire province?!" This guy just wasn't giving up.

"The Hagamitsu will still have its lands of the Taika Provence." The Daimyo argued.

"That leaves roughly Eighty per cent of the land in the hands of a child!"

"This girl is no child."

The room was silenced once again.

"The Shinobi clan territory is of no debate to the civillian Nobles. That is a matter for the Hidden Leaf village and the Hokage."

Her mind paused.

_Hold on one freaken moment!_

She would later confidently say that she was proud that she gave away absolutely no indication of the realization she had in that moment.

She couldn't speak. Her mind had been so disjointed by the vast strangeness of this room. She had been left so unconnected to everything but the simple facts behind works. Heck, she listened to the small history lesson more than the actual conversation. And now that she had finally pieced together the actual implications of what was going on, there was no room for rejection. She had not yet been addressed though so there was still a little time to readjust matters.

"That's settled then." The Daimyo clapped.

Or not.

Kyoko swallowed nervously. She felt eyes on her but kept her well-trained mask of passive comfort and alert control.

Internally, she was a mess.

A giant mess of '_WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED!?'_

∪●ᴥ●∪ _"Wanna touch my paw?" - Pakkun_

At noon a messenger came to their door with a small note in a crisply folded cream paper pocket. The note was then passed to a hesitant Kyoko. She pulled out the small pieces of paper and stared at it in awe.

All her childhood she had been schooled by her mother, then by the academy, in writing and characters but never before had she seen such beautiful script on a small sheet of paper.

It was clearly written with the traditional brush and ink methods that were still popular even though recently pens and pencils were gaining traction in the trends. Each brushstroke was so perfect in its angle. Not a single mark of hesitance, not a single stained hair strayed.

She tore her eyes from the detail of the expert handwriting and spared some of her still functioning brain cells to what the note was actually saying to her.

She then paused and her cheeks lit up in a small blush, she rubbed at her forehead and turned to her Captain.

"Can you read this?"

"Hm?" Kakashi said with a raised brow, peered over her shoulder then gave his famous sadistic closed eye smile. "Of course." He said then he turned away back to his book.

Her eye twitched in annoyance.

"Something wrong with the letter?" Ginshu asked as he walked up to her.

Kyoko rubbed at the back of her neck and handed over the small slip. "Its an invitation to something but I don't know these Kanji."

Ginshu took the note and scanned it over. Kyoko watched as his left eyebrow rose then handed it back to her. "Its Imperial Ceremonial Tea."

Kyoko stared at him. "I'm sorry, what?" she took back the paper as he handed it back and ran through the rest of the letter.

"It seems that you've been invited to a tea ceremony with Lord Mifune." Kakashi said with a casualness so irritating she threw a couch cushion directly at him. Regrettably, the cushion was easily swatted aside. She should have used more force.

"Can I decline this?" Kyoko asked the room. Asuma snorted and Ginshu almost panicked.

"No!" The Chunin cried. "The insult of declining a personal invitation… I can't imagine what that passive-aggressive old Samurai would do. Absolutely not."

Kyoko had been schooled in tea ceremony back in the academy but that was only the basics if anything. That even had been spent receiving a thorough ear pounding with the endless information of what to expect from a formal tea ceremony. How she should react in certain situations. She had even been dresses up in a Kimono, one she was eternally grateful for her mother demanding she take. Kyoko had been so ridiculously practised in the last four hours by Ginshu that she had even dreamed of a freaken tea ceremony.

Kyoko arrived at the courters of Mifune, once again accompanied by a guide in the form of a servant of the Lord Daimyo. Kyoko was left at the door, waiting patiently in her furisode. It was one of her favourite things to wear outside of her shinobi attire. Not that she ever really got the chance to wear it beyond preening in her room in front of her mirror. The cream base colour accented the orange autumn leaves embroidered into the elegant silk. Her obi was a dark tan detailed in the Nara picturesque deer quietly grazing.

It originally belonged to her father's mother, and her mother before her, handed down as time wore on. It was the most cared for piece of clothing she owned. The most formal piece of clothing as well. It was beautiful. Kyoko never wore it, not even to those stupid tournaments that the clan elders insisted were the height of the clan's urgency. Kyoko had stalled them for years now, as she pushed against them, against the Nara clan, she came to realize that her clan's prestige was something that the elders of the village took far too literally to truly understand it. Those idiots didn't understand what it meant to be Nara. It was like they had never read the old texts of their clan.

The door in front of her opened and she was gestured inside by an armoured Samurai. Kyoko moved forward in through the doorway and into the room.

"Welcome." Mifune greeted. Kyoko bowed deeply. "I hope you will not worry too much about formalities. My niece will be hosting us today, as she is still learning the ways of the tea ceremony I will forewarn of any mistakes."

Kyoko almost sighed in relief, she held it contained. "This is relieving news," Kyoko spoke formally. "I admit, I've never attended a tea ceremony outside of my schooling in the academy."

Mifune chuckled, "I have asked you to join me for more of a discussion than the actual tea but it was an opportunistic time for Hanami to get in a bit of practice while away from home."

"I see." Kyoko focused her attention onto the Lording Samurai. "May I ask as to why you've called me here today, Lord Mifune?"

The Samurai scanned over her seated form from across the small table between them.

"I am interested in the ways of the Shinobi, I always have had a mild curiosity for the differences between our practices the variety of Shinobi culture. Every now and then I like to sit with a Shinobi and simply talk of varying matters." Mifune asked. "I also like to get the opinion of a Shinobi's view on the Samurai."

Kyoko watched the man, "My knowledge of the Samurai is noticeably lacking." She admitted.

Mifune nodded, "Yes, you are rather young. I didn't expect for you to have much insight into the Samurai Way."

"The Samurai way?" Kyoko asked in keen curiosity.

"It would take far longer than a simple tea ceremony to educate you upon the Way." Mifune smiled, "However, I can tell you that the differences between Samurai and Shinobi are not as great as you may think."

Kyoko stayed silent, waiting for the man to elaborate. "Do you know where chakra first came from?" He asked.

Kyoko pondered silently, "The Great Sage of Six Path."

Mifune nodded, "Indeed. The original difference between Samurai and Shinobi was how each of us took the teachings of the Great Sage. The Shinobi used chakra as a literal link between people to form values of understanding, empathy and insight between each other in hopes if achieving peace."

"Ninshu." Kyoko said.

"Ninshu?" Mifune asked.

"I think, no… I believe that is the teaching of Ninshu." Kyoko thought, trailing her memories and thoughts.

"Interesting…" Mifune hummed. "While the Shinobi developed their Ninshu eventually into Ninjutsu, the Samurai fostered Bushido. The Samurai before the Sage's teachings were mostly retainers and warriors of noble families of the Imperial courts of old that believed in a certain set of ideals. These ideals were deepened upon the introduction of Chakra. Each of our teachings stems from these ideals in some way or form."

"So, a Samurai is more focused on the spiritual usage of Chakra and the Shinobi are more physical?"

"Essentially." Kyoko dragged her eyes from Mifune's calculating gaze. "Say, do the Leaf Shinobi still believe in the Will of Fire?"

Kyoko blinked in confusion, "Yes. Why do you ask?"

"I believe that the Will of Fire is the closest thing a Shinobi will ever come to Bushido." He spoke. "Tell me, what do you think of the Will of Fire is?"

Kyoko had pondered this exact question once or twice before. "The Will of Fire… Is the emotional manifestation of desire put into intent and thus, a will."

Mifune smiled, "Do elaborate."

"The Will of Fire moves. It shifts and morphs like chakra and it is different for each person. To one, it may be the protection of the village and it's ensured survival. To another, it may be their beliefs and dreams. It is something that can be passed on, like one candle to another as one person's Will is to another. At the root of all these reasons, is desire."

"And what, if I may ask, is your Will of Fire?"

"My Will of Fire?"

The Samurai Lord nodded.

Kyoko stalled in thought for a short while, "My Will of Fire is also desire." Kyoko declared. "It is the desire to protect the village as it is more than the place of my family but the families of my family. It is of love, hope, loyalty and duty that sparks the Will of Fire within me. It burns because of the darkness that is Shinobi - and the greater the darkness, the brighter the flame."

"Is this something you have decided on your own?" Mifune asked cryptically.

"No." Kyoko smiled. "I share this Will with my Sensei, my Kage, my friends and my Father. It is because of what they have shown me in life that I am able to say this so truthfully."

Silence passed over as a trey of prepared snacks were set out. Mifune quietly chewed on one and Kyoko waited for the man to finish.

"That Katana you wore during the meeting, is it just for show?" The Samurai Lord asked.

"It is as much of a tool as I am." And Kyoko didn't believe herself to be a tool for others to use. Years of internal conflict had been quelled in her mind. No Shinobi was a tool. They were people. Lord Third himself had reassured her thought.

Even if, sometimes, she was needed to act as such from time to time.

"I see. Then would you perhaps like to spar with me later in the week?"

Kyoko almost floundered, "I doubt I can be of any challenge to you, Lord Samurai."

The older man just laughed. "Do not worry too much, young Shinobi. I simply wish to test your blade."

"Do you have time today?" Kyoko asked in an almost embarrassingly eager manner leaving the Samurai to smile.

"I may. Would you like to fetch your blade?" Mifune smirked.

Kyoko smirked, "I have it here with me." She pulled the long silk sleeves to show the tattooed seal in her inner forearm. Mifune peered at it curiously. With a small application of chakra shaped into the key needed for her Katana. The black sheathed blade poofed into existence. Kyoko caught it before it could drop a single centimetre towards the ground. The comfortable black painted wood cooled her warming hands.

"How cleaver. You Shinobi are most assuredly imaginative and creative creatures." Mifune praised. He stood from his seated position in the single most fluid movement Kyoko had ever seen outside of combat. "Shall we move outside for a little sport?"

Kyoko eagerly followed the man into the courtyard. Each stood a blades distance from each other. Mifune tucked his sheathed blade into his sash once again and rested a hand on the grip, the other angled the rest of the sword and held it firmly in its position. Kyoko drew her blade from its home, ready for the next needed movement.

"Let's not move beyond this. We don't want to ruffle ourselves up too much in these fine clothes." Kyoko agreed, not to mention that the silk she was clad in was near impossible to move in. Not ideal for any type of sparing but she'd be a fool to turn down this offer simply because of a bit of silk and tight clothing.

She was distracted.

In a single movement, Mifune drew his blade from the sheath and replaced it back quicker than she could blink.

"I am impressed," Mifune commented.

Kyoko stared wide-eyed, her blade rang in her ear from the force of the collision. She had been only just fast enough to reposition her sword to deflect the oncoming blade.

"You're reactions are quite quick," Mifune said. Kyoko called bullshit in her head, she knew this man could draw his sword even quicker. He wasn't even standing in position and he had still forced her swiftest reaction, a small dose of fear and that insatiable adrenaline.

"Let's see how long you last, shall we?"

Seven hundred and thirty-eight strikes later. Two hours after that, the sun disappeared. Kyoko stood in the same position as before. Her arms quaked uncontrollably. Her calloused hands had ripped anew for the first time in a long while and her heart was thundering in her chest and it races to push oxygen through her blood.

"Perhaps it's time to retire for the day." Mifune suggested.

Kyoko straightened, replaced her blade and bowed deeply in respect and gratitude. "Thank you for today."

"No, thank you. These trips are usually far more uninteresting." Mifune smirked. "Your skills with that blade are beautiful. They possess the refinedness of time and work and yet it still has the chaos of errors in the most minimal amounts. Very Samurai, if I do say so myself."

"If the Lord Samurai has any tips for improvement?" Kyoko asked.

Mifune hummed, "Have you ever crafted a blade yourself?"

Kyoko frowned, "No."

"Then, I'd suggest paying a visit to a blacksmith. There is much to learn from the birth of a blade if you seek to master it." Mifune offered and gestured to the hallway that led out of the wing. Kyoko bowed once more before moving away back to her own staying room.

"Why are you such a mess!?" Ginshu all but squealed upon her return.

"Looks like someone had fun." Asuma smirked and Kakashi peered up from the book he was reading in the corner of the room. Her Captain raised a brow at her.

Kyoko couldn't hold back the full-blown giggle and grin, "You have no idea!"

∪●ᴥ●∪ _"Wanna touch my paw?" - Pakkun_

"The Mangekyo Sharingan… I would be able to use it more effectively."

Those words signalled every single fibre of his being to leave.

He tried to jump back. To put any distance between himself and this man.

He couldn't.

His legs refused to shift. Not a single twitch. He stayed rooted to the ground.

Fear set in as his eyes widened in shock.

"Insects are such interesting creatures," Danzo said. Shisui was suddenly hyperaware of the squad of Foundation ninja that 'protected' the Elder Danzo. "If a mosquito were to bite a human, there isn't a single ounce of pain felt. Not even the sensation, perhaps only an itch."

Shisui struggled in vain, he was paralyzed. "Wh-what did you do?" Shisui hissed and his head began to spin.

Shisui felt the rupture of a chakra appearing behind him. With all his effort, Shisui turned his head so that he had the newcomer within the sight of a single eye.

A Foundation ninja.

"What are you calling yourself now?" Danzo asked the figure behind Shisui. The foreboding loomed over Shisui like a raised, freshly polished guillotine. His fingers twitched and the smallest muscles contracted beneath his skin.

He could feel the familiar and unsettling feeling of a nonexistent breeze brushing against his chakra. Kyoko… She was watching.

"I go by Sugaru now." The Foundation behind him spoke with exactly no emotion. It made Shisui's hair raise.

"Oh, that's right," Danzo said as a few long and languid strides had the older man within arms reach of Shisui. "Sugaru here is originally from the Aburame clan. I'm sure a wise young man like yourself would be able to figure out the rest."

Shisui would have stiffened if his body could accomplish anything. His teeth ground together in an effort to move.

"But don't worry. The poison won't kill you right away. There'll be just enough time to have both of your eyes plucked out."

Oh fuck.

"They're fresher when they are taken from a live subject, you see? They adapt faster too, unlike your fathers."

. . .

. .

.

"You… You took my father's eyes?" The words were whispered and suddenly all of his dread turned to seething anger. His eyes pulsed with heated power.

In a moment, Danzo reached out, pushed back the upper eyelid with his first two fingers while his thumb sunk lower. Pain erupted through his skull, fingers stabbed into his eye socket then his eye was gone with a painful ripping thud of it disconnecting.

Shisui's empty eye closed harshly in pain and a fresh warmth trailed down his cheek. His blood was hot against his skin.

"One more to go." Came the voice of Danzo.

No.

Donzo would never take his other eye. Pain rippled from his lower back as the poison pulsed through his blood. He couldn't die here. Itachi was waiting for him at the edge of the cliff. He had made a promise.

Shisui's chakra fluctuated in desire.

Suddenly, it felt as though he were consumed by flames. And yet, his skin didn't burn or peel from the moving energy around him. Shisui didn't feel the immense pressure that had left him standing in a crater. He didn't feel resistance as the energy pushed every ninja away from him. Shisui looked through a shimmering green haze at the Elder that stood calmly gazing in Shisui's direction. Three of his minions stood in a protective stance in the space between them.

Shisui clenched a fist.

Movement.

But all the Kami, that single movement left his breathing sharp and his mind blanking from the pain.

He needed to push through. He needed to endure.

He needed to figure out a way to get rid of these bastards and somehow make it to Itachi before the poison coursing through his body snuffed out his life. Shisui moved his arm out towards his enemies and felt the energy move with him. Shisui knew, in his very essence, how this power was meant to be used. A shower of green, Senbon-like chakra shot toward the group. Some of the Ninja dodged, two of the others took direct hits while acting as human shields for the Elder.

The impact of a single Senbon-like projectiles kicked up a fair bit of dust and rubble. After the shower he had just rained down on his foes, there was plenty of cover to make a quick getaway. The power fizzled away and Shisui moved in the only way his body knew.

With a single Body Flicker Jutsu, Shisui was gone. Already in the trees. By the eighth aching Flicker, Shisui had arrived at the cliffside, a place where he had so many precious memories.

Shisui came to a stop in crumbling agony.

Itachi whirled around at his ungraceful appearance. Eyes widening at the sight of him. Shisui wondered, when Itachi looked at him, what did his dear friend see?

"Sorry, Itachi." Shisui breathed, his lungs were on fire. "I failed."

Itachi took a quick step forwards, "What happened to your eye?"

Shisui ignored the question. "I couldn't even make contact with Lord Fugaku. The meeting's probably starting right now. They'll likely decide on the key parts of the coup at the meeting today. Our plan failed." Shisui had never felt so broken in his life. He had this one shot and now… It was all for nothing.

"That doesn't mean it's over." Itachi said determinedly.

His spirit ached for Itachi. The boy's hope and sincere pacifism made Shisui truly worry. Would Itachi be okay? Would he be able to live his life the way he deserved? Shisui, only now in this single moment did he realize.

His heart broke.

Shisui wouldn't be able to see the man Itachi was fated to become. Shisui wouldn't be able to protect him. Wouldn't be able to spar with him and argue over tactics. Shisui wouldn't ever learn the names of his friend's kids or see the day to have his own.

Shisui wanted a family.

He had wanted one so _bad_.

He wanted a daughter.

It was something he had aimlessly pondered over mindlessly. But now he _knew_ he wanted a daughter.

He could see it in his mind's eye, picture a little girl with delicately long eyelashes framing midnight eyes.

"Who got you?" Itachi's question pulled Shisui from his thoughts.

"Danzo." Shisui spat. "One of his subordinates uses insects, right?"

Itachi frowned, "Was he wearing a white feline mask?"

The pain rippled again, it intensified. "He dosed me with a poison. There's no saving me." The ache in his body stole at his breath. "Itachi." His comrade, his brother's name fell weakly. "It doesn't look like there's any way to stop the coup. If Konoha starts fighting within itself, other countries will definitely attack, it'll be war."

Shisui laughed weakly at how pathetic he sounded, like his impending death had torn up the last of his hope. This… wasn't like him.

"Just as I was about to use the Kotoamatsukami to stop the coup, my right eye got stolen by Danzo." Shisui was bitter and frustrated. "Danzo didn't trust me. He intends to protect the village his own way, no matter how it looks." Shisui was angry.

Shisui raised his hands to his empty eye, fingers lightly trailed over it before drifting to his single remaining eye. "He likely would have taken my left one too." His fingers slipped past his eyelids. The pain in his eye bloomed again but it was nothing in comparison to the way his entire body throbbed. That sickening, ripping-like pop echoed in the depths of his skull. The warmth of his eye sat reassuringly in his closed fist where it was safe, secure. "Before he does that… I'm giving it to you." More than giving Itachi an eye, he was giving him the Mangekyo Sharingan. His expressed permission to use its abilities. Maybe this way, Shisui would still be able to see Itachi grow. Would still be able to aid and protect him in some way. Even if just marginally. Even if he were dead.

"You're my best friend. You're the only one I can ask. The village… The Uchiha name… protect them." Shisui held out his arm and a small pulse of chakra signalled a crow from the empty space above them. The crow descended in a mass of black feathers, landing on the outstretched arm Shisui provided. With an open hand, his eye offered, the bird bowed its head. In a flare of chakra, the bird rose from its bow with Shisui's spinning Sharingan. Protect them. Shisui silently ordered, preyed.

With a light shove up, the bird disappeared into the cold, sunless sky.

"There are other things I want to give you. I don't have much in terms of possessions. Mother and Father have already passed so… I've written a Will, like every ninja. That'll sort it out. There's a notebook I want you to share with Kyoko. It's got some of my notes and theories on a few Jutsu I've been developing. Use them to become stronger. Use them to protect each other. There's one more thing…" Shisui blindly smiled into the night sky. "But before that, there's something I want you to know.

"What?" The younger boys voice was quiet and strained.

"I killed my good friend with this hand," Shisui confessed. He clenched his hand into a tight fist in front of him. "It was a little before I met you, before Kyoko wrangled me into those cursed Shogi games." What Shisui wouldn't give for just one more game.

"I met a boy at the academy I could call a friend. He was on my Genin team too, and eventually, we went to war together. By then – we really trusted each other. But I…" Shisui hesitated in finding the right words. "That didn't even last a year."

"You saw the war… It was a bloodbath. We were surrounded by more enemies than we could count in the heat of the battle. It was just bad luck that we were even there. Fortunately, reinforcements arrived just in time. I managed to get out, but my friend wasn't… If I had just reached out to him, he wouldn't have died."

"It wasn't your fault." Itachi said, echoing voices of the past.

"No." Shisui denied. "I envied him. He was better than I was, more talented, and that made me jealous. I could have reached out my hand. But, deliberately, I didn't… My decision killed him."

"For several months I was completely destroyed by the fact that I had killed him. But then…"

.

_The afternoon sun, he hated it. He was tired of training. It didn't do any good when it only helped him forget for a few hours at most. He wasn't really improving either, maybe he should just-_

_Looming above him was a small presence._

_Shisui slowly turned to the new company. Surprise filled him just a little as, standing tense and hesitant, was a little girl. Short fluffy hair and steel black eyes, he first thought that maybe one of the kids of the clan had a message from one of the old ladies or something. But she didn't look Uchiha, something about her was different, somehow._

_The little girl was dressed in a tan-coloured dress with white little ruffles at the ends of the skirt. Her cream-coloured coat was likely the only protection she had against the cool afternoon breeze that had settled in._

_In her arms, held almost like a protective barrier, was a wooden box that barely fit into her tiny limbs._

"_Can I help you?" Shisui asked, rasped more like, he needed some water._

_The girl was trying so hard to look fearless that it was almost cute. "Are you Uchiha Shisui?" She asked._

_She was obviously cautious of him, Shisui sat up to help her feel a little more level with him. "Yeah, that's me. What can I do for a little lady like yourself?" Shisui eased his tone of voice into something more gentle and lighter._

_She thrust out her arms and shoved the wooden box in the open space between them with eyes squeezed shut and face screwed up. "Please spare some time and play a game against me."_

.

"But then…"

.

_The sound of the kunai embedding into the centre of the wooden targets hanging from the tree echoed. Shisui smiled. Damn this kid was good, he thought. He decided to voice this, "Not bad at all."_

_The youngest boy whirled around from his landed position and searched for the origin of the voice. Finding Shisui leaning against a tree, Itachi straightened and his eyes scanned over him. They began at his feet, no doubt taking Shisui's relaxed posture in mind and dismissing him as an immediate threat. Itachi's eyes stopped on the regulation headband that sat snugly on his forehead._

_"How old are you?" Shisui asked, creating conversation, even though he already knew the kid was around the same age as Kyoko._

_"Four." Itachi said shortly._

_Shisui whistled impressed. "You're really something. Being that good with kunai at your age is impressive." Shisui complimented but the boys face remained passive and unresponsive._

_Shisui flinched mentally, no reaction from this kid huh. He opted for a different approach and offered his hand in greeting, "I'm Uchiha Shisui." He said warmly._

.

"It was then. When I met you." Shisui smiled. "I watched you, so intently motivated in your training every day, and I just wound up making a fool of myself." He chuckled. "You were always so forward-looking, always running ahead, and spending time with you helped me pick myself back up again. To both you and Kyoko, I'm grateful." Even to Shisui, his words sounded like goodbye.

Shisui wanted to scream at the world for being so cruel and unfair. He didn't of course, Shisui didn't want to upset his friend any more than he already was.

"My friend's death gave me a new power. That was the Mangekyo Sharingan. It takes a fierce emotional blow for an Uchiha to unlock the power. Mine was probably awakened by the regret over killing my friend."

"Regret over killing your friend…" Itachi echoed.

"Kill me, Itachi. Then you'll also unlock the Mangekyo and become even stronger."

"But that's-!" Itachi went to protest but Shisui cut his friend off before he could argue.

"I'm dead either way. So then, it's better if I die after leaving you that power." That way, Itachi would be able to, at the very least, protect himself.

His body pulsed and his legs nearly buckled beneath him. He had lost feeling in most of his lower core and left leg. His arm was starting to numb too and his temperature had dropped, despite the burning sensation on the poison intensifying in its maturity within his blood. He didn't have much time left.

"All right – do it, Itachi!" It was selfish to demand this of the boy. To weigh his friend down with these emotions. Itachi was too young for this. He had always been too young for this world.

Itachi took a step closer.

"That's it." Shisui encouraged. He could hear Itachi's breath shake and falter in an uneven pattern in an attempt to hide his sorrow from him.

_I'm sorry, Itachi._ "With your abilities, something like the clan can't contain you. I mean, knowing you, you'll even be able to surpass the destiny of the clan. No…" The clan was small in comparison to Itachi.

"Shisui…" Itachi begged.

"I think your abilities could even swallow up the Shinobi worldview."

"My abilities?" Itachi asked. His voice trembled. It was the only time Shisui had ever heard his friend so weak. Itachi didn't understand his potential.

"I'm glad I met you." Shisui said.

A gentle hand placed itself over the place where his heart pounded. The hand shook violently. It was far too gentle to do anything other than be there. It was comforting. That hand had really grown a lot over the years.

Shisui tipped himself back.

Gravity did the rest.

The hand slipped away.

The wind rushed in his ears.

A delicate embrace engulfed his chakra.

_Take care of each other, please._

He wondered of their fates, their destiny.

He wondered, would he find peace now?

Now that there wasn't a thing left for him to do?

There was a moment of everything. Of hot and cold. Of joy and anger. Of hatred and finally… of relief.

And as Shisui went to move on, went to follow his parents who beckoned him beyond, he hesitated.

In the darkness around him, a small forest appeared from nothing. He was dead, for sure. He could see - proof he was dead - all around him but it was distorted. This was the other side, and he only needed to move forward to finally be at peace.

Shisui walked over and sat with his back against the support of a single tree. He stared up into a newly materialized clear summer night sky. The filtered moonlight that streamed through the tree leaves gave him comfort.

Here, Shisui would wait.

The three of them would cross on to their next journey together.


End file.
